In Beta's Broad Domain

In Beta’s Broad Domain BROOKS

I N B E T A ’S B R O A D D O M A I N

In Betas Broad Domain A collection of the memoirs and w ritten and spoken words of S E T H R. B R O O K S , D . D .

ST. LAWRENCE

1922

GENERAL SECRETARY, BETA THETA P I, PRESIDENT, BETA THETA P I,

1950-1960

1960-1966

Edited by K. WARREN FAWCETT M IN N E S O T A

1926

H ISTO RIA N -A RC H IV TST

P U B L IS H E D BY

BETA THETA PI

O X FO RD , OHIO

1967

Copyright, 1967

BETA THETA PI FRATERNITY

Printed in the United States o f America

Foreword H E written and spoken words o f Seth R. Brooks, St. Law­ rence 1922, have influenced so many men in all sections o f the continent that there has been wide demand that they be gathered together in permanent form. Upon his retirement from the presi­ dency o f Beta T heta Pi in 1966, the Board o f Trustees asked the Historian to edit a book containing the memoirs o f Dr. Brooks, a selection o f his “ Inter Fratres” articles which had appeared in The Beta Theta Pi magazine, paragraphs from his letters “T o Any Beta Reader,” certain o f his best known addresses, and several widely acclaimed sermons.

T he important milestones along the route which this great and beloved fraternity leader followed are well known to countless fraternity members both within and without Beta T heta Pi. A fter his early schooling in N ew York C ity he chose to follow his older brother to St. Lawrence University in upper N ew York State where he became No. 288 on the rolls o f Beta Zeta chapter. His enthusiasm for fraternal endeavor became apparent almost im­ mediately with the winning o f a freshman award which brought with it a trip to the General Convention o f 1919, held that year at Swampscott, Massachusetts. This experience brought a desire for more participation and we find his name on the attendance list o f subsequent gatherings and, soon after his graduation, an appoint­ ment to his first important office in the brotherhood, that o f Chief o f District III. This was followed by other assignments as his activities in the N ew England area and at General Conventions brought him more and more to the attention o f the fraternity leaders.

The twin careers o f Seth Brooks—as a minister o f the Universalist Church and service to Beta T heta Pi—advanced side by side and complemented each other. T he confidence and talent gained in the pulpit became useful in the guidance o f young men and in 1950 the fraternity chose him to occupy its highest administrative office, that o f General Secretary. It was in that position over the next ten years that his influence was felt from coast to coast. Telling the

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story o f Fraternity as a vital influence in the lives o f men, he made hundreds o f chapter visitations, addressed gatherings o f alumni in all sections o f the United States and Canada, and appeared before student bodies of most o f the leading colleges and universities. As one of the leading spokesmen for the fraternity world he stood like a rock as the storm o f antifraternity agitation reached its peak. He calmly directed Beta Theta Pi through several periods o f uncer­ tainty brought on by controversy over membership policies and his steady guiding hand was felt as the fraternity progressed along a sane, conservative road of expansion. Certainly one o f his great­ est contributions to Beta Theta Pi was the wise counsel and advice which he gave to the early administrative secretaries during the organization and establishment o f the Administrative Office in Oxford, Ohio. T he effects o f that accomplishment will be felt in the fraternity for countless years to come.

As his fame spread throughout the fraternity world, he re­ ceived invitations to address the international conventions o f other fraternities and sororities. This interfraternity influence was recognized and culminated in his receiving the Gold Medal Award of the National Interfraternity Conference at its gathering in New Orleans in December, 1966.

T he words bound together and preserved in this volume should contain something for everyone. T he older reader will re-live some of his own experiences in Seth’s Memoirs and the addresses may bring back memories o f occasions when he heard them in person. T he younger, undergraduate reader will catch a picture of the fraternity and o f the ideals and principles which have given it enduring life—a picture more complete and more significant than any he has had before.

— K . W a r r e n F a w c e t t , Minnesota 1926 Historian-A rchivist

Contents FR A TER N A L P A T H W A Y S ............................................

1

IN TER F R A T R E S ............................................................... I l l PIC TU R E H I G H L I G H T S ..........................following page

160

A D D R E S S E S ............................................................................215 M other of Men

217

The Morning Star

224

G rowth with a Nation

231

Enter into Your Beta Inheritance

237

The Long Illustrious Line

246

A t the Beta Bell T ow er

254

Past, Present, and Future

256

“A Thankful and Grateful H eart�

268

A High Honor

280

S E R M O N S ............................................................................283 Sameness and Change

285

The Wisdom of the Learned Man

291

T he Guidons

297

M yself and One Other Person

302

The Past as M ore Than Prologue

306

T O ANY BETA R E A D E R ............................................ 313 vii

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Fraternal Pathways Soon after his retirement fr o m the presidency o f Beta Theta Pi in 1966, Seth Brooks dictated the follow ing memoirs to his secretary, Hope Dixon.

A s the recollection o f events covering nearly fiv e decades o f fraternity activity flooded into his consciousness, he p u t them into words w ithout attempting any set arrangement by years or subject. H e is aware that w ith the passing o f years, the m ind can play tricks and some o f the events men­ tioned may suffer fr o m inaccuracy and some names m ay be unintentionally omitted. H e hopes that readers w ill understand that it is a broad picture which is being painted and that some detail may be obscure.

Fraternal Pathways N JU N E, 1941, the alumni o f the old W ooster chapter were to meet for a day on the W ooster campus. W ith their wives and families they were to have luncheon at the Country Club. T he dinner was just for Betas. I was invited to speak at the luncheon and dinner. Because o f my schedule I could spend only the day in W ooster. Sam Needham, W ashington (Seattle) ’07, knew o f my problem. H e was then General Counsel for the American Banker’s Association. Sam had the Broadway Limited stop for me at W ooster in the morning and then stopped again at night to pick me up. I was a famous man on that train.

Otho E. Lane, Miami ’01, used to say, “T he Fraternity is sentiment.” I attended Billie Lane’s funeral in a little Episcopal Church near his estate in Pennsylvania. Attending with me were two devoted Betas, Billie’s nephew, John Sommers, and Cooper W illits.

One thing I remember about John R. Simpson was how during the last years o f his life when he would return for extended stays at Oxford he would wear his blue blazer with the Beta Coat of Arms.

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I was Chief of District III I took Shep to an initiation at Colgate. The dinner began at 9 o’clock. There were countless speakers. Shep spoke from 11 until 12. I was called upon as the clock struck midnight. M y remarks were, “ I’m glad I ’m a Beta.”

It was Saturday night. I had to drive fifty miles to Little Falls. In the morning I had to be superintendent o f the Sunday School, teach the High School boys, conduct the morning service, officiate at Communion, and preach at 7 p .m . in a country church. As I arrived home at 3 a . m . Corinne was calling the police to report me missing.

As Chief of District II I attended with Shep a chapter meeting at Amherst. It was one o f the worst chapter meetings I have ever seen. Later as Shep and I walked to the Lord Jeff Inn he said, “Seth, those boys need to get back to their altar.”

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W hen I was General Secretary on a visit to Centre I happened to find in a room pictures o f Bo McMillan, the famous Beta backfield, and the great Beta team. T he boys did not know the value o f the pictures. I told them about Bo and his Beta teammates and suggested the pictures be framed and hung. T hey were and the last time I was in the Centre house the pictures were hung in a prominent place.

A t the First Anniversary o f the W ichita chapter I was the speaker. Attendance was large for a new chapter. I was happy I could participate as when I was General Secretary the invitation from the Administration at W ichita came to me for us to enter that campus. W e were told the University sincerely wanted a chap­ ter o f Beta T heta Pi. T he Auburn chapter is the result o f the vision and work of Edward B. Taylor, Davidson ’43. Ed wrote to me when I was General Secretary and invited me to visit Auburn. I urged Fred Brower to go with me. Ed advertised in The Plainsman that officials o f Beta T heta Pi would be at Auburn. T he T aylor home was the place o f our first meeting. O f ten students who appeared six be­ came the nucleus o f a Local. Fred and I returned to Auburn annu­ ally for five years. N o one ever labored harder or met more discouragements than did Ed, his wife, Helen, and their two little girls, Betsy and Nancy. There was no Ritual and I was requested to write one. This I did and when the Alabama Local came into being they used the same Ritual with slight changes.

Once when I was at W illam ette word o f my fondness for ice cream had gone before me. W hen dessert was served one o f the waiters placed before me a bowl with at least a gallon o f vanilla ice cream.

W ith Fred Brower I met at Bowling Green with a fine group of men who thought they might like to join a general fraternity.

After luncheon and a meeting with the President and Deans o f the University, at which Fred and I were guests, one o f the group of undergraduates came to Fred and me and said, “ W e have decided we don’t want to go into a general fraternity.” Fred and 1 ex­ pressed our understanding and regret. T he boys must have had a hurried meeting because as Fred and I were about to drive away several members o f the group caught up with us and their spokes­

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man said, “ W e ’ve been thinking it over and we can’t afford not to try to share in the things you have told us about Beta Theta Pi.” Fred and I were at the Installation of this chapter.

I was the G reek W eek banquet speaker at the University o f Alabama before we had a chapter there. Three lads came to the motel where I was staying and said, “Above everything else we want a chapter o f Beta T heta Pi here.” On that trip the IFC Presi­ dent said to me, “A Beta chapter here would mean the resurrection of the Alabama fraternity system.”

Raymond M . Cheseldine, Ohio W esleyan ’14, was one o f the most loyal Betas I have known. H e and Bill Dawson from their chapter days were as close as blood brothers. Ches gave long and devoted service as an Army officer. H e was stationed in W ashing­ ton, D. C., several times. H e was active in the D. C. Beta Associa­ tion. His last illness was long and trying. Before Ches died he made the request that he be buried next to Bill Dawson. Bill had died while M ilitary Governor o f Stuttgart, Germany. Bill’s body had been brought back and buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

I officiated at Ches’ funeral at Fort M yer Chapel. T he problem was to get a grave near Bill Dawson’s. Through the efforts of Scoop Wilkinson, who had been a very close friend in Ohio W esleyan o f Bill’s and Ches’, a grave was secured a few feet from Bill Dawson’s. So it was that two inseparable friends were buried close together. There was a large attendance o f Betas at Ray Cheseldine’s service. I will always remember at this important time the spirit and sincerity o f Scoop W ilkinson who for more than a quarter o f a century was Executive Secretary o f Phi Gamma Delta.

W hen I had the service for George M. Chandler, Michigan ’98, his body was carried on a caisson from the Main G ate at Arlington National Cemetery to the grave site. As I stood to pronounce the Committal I realized that George’s grave was only a few feet from the graves o f Bill Dawson and Ray Cheseldine. In this spot three great Betas lie buried.

In 1965 at the December N IC meetings in Washington, D. C., Bert and Liz Bennett were present. Sunday morning the Bennetts and Dwight and M rs. Peterson worshipped in our church. Dwight was a past President o f Sigma Chi and the N IC . Bert and Liz

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Bennett were our guests for dinner. I asked them if there was any­ thing they would like to do or see. Bert said that above all he would like to go to the graves o f Bill Dawson, Ray Cheseldine, and George Chandler.W e drove to Arlington National Cemetery and Bert and I stood at the graves o f these three men who so dearly loved our Fraternity.

W illis M . Everett, W ashington and Lee ’20, was devoted to the Fraternity. H e lived in Atlanta where he was a prominent lawyer.

H e gave devoted service to the Georgia Tech chapter. T he wing which was added to the house is named W illis M. Everett Hall.

W illis and I were Chiefs at the same time. W illis Everett as an American Officer in Germany in the famous Malmedy Trials defended German officers who W illis thought had been wrongly convicted. H e won this historic case. W illis had a long and ago­ nizing final illness.The members o f the Georgia Tech chapter stood by him night and day. T hey gave blood; they had someone in the hospital around the clock. W hen he could not eat they took the chapter Loving Cup to the hospital and tried to get him to drink soup from it. Just before W illis Everett died he said, “ I’m glad I’m a Beta.”

Owen D Young, St. Lawrence ’94, was always interested in the Fraternity. On one o f his numerous returns to St. Lawrence he told what the chapter had meant to him from the day he joined it.

Three quotations o f his, which I first heard at Beta Zeta Alumni Banquets, I have never forgotten: “Facts are the most precious things in life because they are so few.” . . . “Learn to know men on the inside.” . . . “ One secret o f success is to learn how to handle your emotions.”

I officiated at the funeral of George M . Churchill, Boston ’96, and at the funeral of Fred K. Dyar, Amherst ’98. Both were loyal Betas. Leonard S. Hole, W estern Reserve ’16, requested that I officiate at his funeral. His widow, Esther, said to me, “ I think Leonard loved the Fraternity more than anything else.”

On a trip with then District Chief Ed Power to W est Virginia we were joined by Ron Moist. Ron, who has been devoted to the Fraternity, took us to the first chapter house. M any years before this house had been vacated for the new house. However, Ron

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stood with us on the sidewalk in front o f the old house and de­ scribed who had lived in each room.

W hen the M en’s Residence was completed at St. Lawrence Charles Kelsey Gaines, St. Lawrence ’76, was asked by Owen Young to write an inscription to go over the main portal. Carved in stone are these words o f Professor Charlie Gaines— “ Let good use justify what good will has here made possible.”

A t the 75th Anniversary o f the Penn State chapter I gave the address at the Banquet Saturday night and the following morning in the Chapel preached to nearly one thousand students. Paul M. H ittner, Penn State ’14, whose nickname is “Pug,” gave the chap­ ter a gift o f $10,000 for scholarship use. After the banquet I ex­ pressed to Pug my appreciation for his generosity. H e said, “ I deserve no thanks. T he finest gentlemen I have ever known have been in this chapter. There is no way I can ever repay my Fra­ ternity for the life-long friendships it has given me in our Brother­ hood.”

During W orld W ar II a call came to our office from a young woman who said she was from N ew England. H er fiance was a Bowdoin Beta. H e was now a Naval Officer and his ship would put into Norfolk. H e had sent her word that he thought I was a minister o f a church in Washington. She was to find me and arrange for their marriage. T hey were married by me in our Side Chapel. This was the beginning o f a wonderful friendship which has never been interrupted between Jack and Lib Gazlay and me.

T hey have a Beta son who attended one o f our Conventions.

In a large church wedding I officiated at the marriage o f Dick McClintock o f our Ohio W esleyan chapter and Virginia C arter o f our church. T h at Saturday afternoon in June the entire Ohio W esleyan chapter attended the ceremony and reception.

W hen I married Robert O. McDowell, Kansas State ’58, and M arilyn Thomsen in our church the entire wedding party was made up o f Betas. Scott Chandler, Kansas State ’54, was best man.

W hen I married Charles E. McKillips and Georgette Burrows Chuck’s only attendant was his stepfather, Edwin A. Jimensis, Columbia ’15.

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It was my privilege to know intimately one o f our most loyal and outstanding Betas. I refer to H . Sheridan Baketel, Boston and Dartmouth ’95. W hen I was a boy my aunt had a summer cottage on the Connecticut Shore next to the Baketels. I used to visit my aunt and first met the doctor when I was ten years old. Sherry Baketel, Jr., Dartmouth ’20, and my brother, John, St. Lawrence ’20, were friends. Throughout my Beta service until the time o f his death I had the loyal support o f “Bake” and he always seemed to be more than kind to me. I have also enjoyed a deep friendship with Sherry.

W henever I think o f Dickinson College and our chapter there, I think o f G ilbert Malcolm, Dickinson ’15. T o all who knew him he was “Red Malcolm.” For years he represented everything good and noble at Dickinson. H e was a constant inspirer o f our chapter.

W hen he was President o f Dickinson he entertained me in the President’s House and had me preach at College Chapel. H e gave a memorable address at a Convention Banquet at Mackinac. N o man loved Beta T heta Pi more than did Red Malcolm.

Clarence L. Newton, W esleyan ’02, who served as President o f the Fraternity, was an unfailing servant and leader. H e never missed a Beta meeting. H e attended many Conventions. W hen we were considering having a chapter at Emory the Board o f Trustees asked N ew t to visit Emory and give his recommendation. Follow­ ing his visit N ew t recommended our going on to the Emory cam­ pus. Strange to say N ew t would tell the story that when he got to Emory he just sat on the steps o f the Chapel and looked at the students crossing the campus. It was the impression they made upon him which moved him to report to the Trustees that Emory was a place for a chapter o f Beta Theta Pi. After N ew t had retired from active life he would always come each day to the Noon Services when I was the preacher in King’s Chapel, Boston. H e would sit in a rear pew and wait to see me after the Service. Each day he would extend an invitation to luncheon. W e had several delightful hours and I was thankful I could see him in these last years.

In my early years in Malden, Massachusetts, I made the ac­ quaintance o f many outstanding Betas in the Boston Association.

I remember the personality o f “ Ike” Litchfield, M .I.T . ’85, who

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wrote the M .I.T . Alma M ater song. His close friend was Charlie Gettemy, Knox ’90. Jack Eastman o f the well-known Amherst Beta Eastman clan was very active and these three men were most devoted Betas.

A t the Old Point Comfort Convention in 1931 I was Chairman o f the Committee on Charters. A member o f the Committee was W illiam C. Gentry, Michigan ’32. He was Chapter President and an outstanding young man. H e established himself in the insurance business in Boston. I officiated at his marriage to Florence Frey.

Bill was very successful in business. T he Gentrys had three sons.

I christened the first two, Bill and Bob. After moving to Chicago, Bill, Sr. became ill and was an invalid for years. I called on him three or four times during this period. Bob G entry became a Beta at Hanover and I saw him there when I was on a visitation with Chief Meid Compton. Bill G entry was a most effective Chief in District I for several years.

Charles B. Gutelius, Indiana ’05, was one o f my closest Beta friends. Charlie never married. H e was a physician and lived in Indianapolis with his mother and sister. H ardly a week passed that Charlie and I did not exchange letters. For over ten years he was a District Chief. H e served a term as a Vice President and Trustee.

T he Fraternity, which he loved so dearly, seemed to me to take the place in his life o f a wife and children.

On a visit to the Maine chapter in honor o f having the General Secretary there was to be a steak dinner. T he steak served me filled a huge plate. I appreciate the hospitality and generosity of my host wherever I may be. However, my steak that night must have come from a walrus. I decided to ask the young man to my right if he would like some o f my steak. I had not succeeded in cutting mine and as I turned to make my generous offer my brother Beta to the right had already devoured his steak. H e accepted with gratitude my bounteous offer. H e had two steaks and I was saved the embarrassment o f trying to dissect what I did not have the strength to cut.

T he Davidson chapter still has the A ltar which was used by the original Davidson Mystical Seven chapter. This is a unique posses­ sion.

T he beautiful living room in the Emory house was furnished by

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M rs. Candler in memory of her grandfather, who was a member of the old Emory M ystical Seven chapter. M rs. Candler made this generous gift in response to a suggestion from the late W illis Everett.

W hen I think o f Lehigh and our chapter I have countless blessed memories o f E. Kenneth Smiley, Bowdoin’21. Ken and I were Chiefs together. H e has always been loyal to the Fraternity and has exerted a fine influence on the Lehigh chapter. As Dean and Vice President at Lehigh University he has made a real contribu­ tion to higher education and college fraternities.

One day when I was visiting Indiana I was asked to speak to the chapter. I told the men I would try to answer any questions.

One undergraduate asked, ‘W ould you tell us what we should do? W e have just pledged forty-nine men and there are forty-nine more we want to take.” This was not a question which had an easy solution.

During a period o f student feeling against fraternities at Knox College, President Umbeck invited me to speak to all fraternity men. Prior to my address in Old Main the Beta chapter gave a dinner for me. I was expected to speak. I said I would rather answer questions for I knew members o f the chapter were involved in the antifraternity sentiment. T he first question put to me was, “W ould you give me one good reason why anyone should join a college fraternity?” I replied, “ Yes, you.” I continued, “ If it had not been for this Fraternity, I would never have known you and you would never have known me.” M y answer to that young man is, I think, the essence of fraternity membership. Being a member o f a fraternity one meets hundreds and thousands o f men he never would have met. Devoted and lasting friendships are made. All through one’s fraternity life there is the wonderful experience “ you.” Aside from all the facts, figures, patios, oriental rugs, airconditioning, spring week-ends, and everything else one may men­ tion in connection with a fraternity house or chapter, there is nothing as important as my relationship to you and your relation­ ship to me.

One o f the things carried out in our Beta history which has added spiritual strength to our Fraternity is the religious service usually held at the time o f a chapter anniversary. On such anni­

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versary week-ends I have conducted Chapel Services at Ohio W esleyan, Penn State, Ohio U., W estern Reserve, and other places. T he spiritual strength we felt was antiseptic and gave us a sense o f pure and noble purpose. M any undergraduates have written me about these Services. A t the 125th General Convention at Miami we began with a Sunday Morning Service in the Univer­ sity Chapel. It set the tone for the coming week and Convention and uplifted us all.

Travel with Fred Brower when he was Administrative Secre­ tary was one of the most delightful parts o f my Beta experience.

Fred and I together made a great many chapter visitations and covered numerous Beta and interfraternity engagements. W hen we were staying in a motel or club I would go to Fred’s door in the morning, knock on it, and ask, “ Is John Reily Knox up?” Fred would always open the door, “Come in, John H olt Duncan.”

T he bronze marker on the outer wall of the Administrative Office was made in Attleboro, Massachusetts. W hen Ralph Fey was Administrative Secretary he asked H arry Easton and me to go to Attleboro and inspect the model before the cast was made.

H arry and I immediately noticed that one o f the three stars was out o f line. T he artist kept insisting we were mistaken. Finally, intricate measuring tools were used and H arry and I were proved right.

B e f o r e a visit to Union I wrote the chapter and requested they make a reservation for me at the Van Curler Hotel. T w o under­ graduates met me at the train. I said I would like to go to the hotel.

They explained they hadn’t gotten around to making the reserva­ tion, but would phone for one from the house. W hen they phoned they learned there was a convention at the hotel and there was not a room to be had. The boys wanted me to stay in the guest room.

This I did. I got to bed at 1 a .m ., but no fraternity house quiets down until 3 a .m . The bed I slept in had a mattress with a perfect hole right through to the springs. All night my hip was suspended in this hole. It was ten degrees below outside. T he heat was run all night and from a leaking steampipe the drip came on to the floor every ten seconds. M oral: M ake your own reservations!

Spig Fawcett, knowing I like a quiet place to stay, was wont to

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put me up in an exclusive club in Minneapolis. One night when I stayed in that club there were two men in the next room who had gotten into the maudlin stage and continued to give each other all the latest knowledge on the universe and the woes and agonies of mankind. Another night in this club was marked by the annual Minnesota Beta Banquet. Undergraduates were present and one o f their number stole the night watchman’s time clock. Spig and I were called to the manager’s office as dawn was breaking. W e were lucky to save the young man from cooling off in jail.

W hen the Convention was held in Pasadena in 1953, District Chief Everett Stancliff and Billy Mills entertained the Officers and their wives on the Sunday night before the Convention in Stan’s beautiful home in one of the canyons. I remember Stan, who had a magnificent voice, singing the Lord’s Prayer accompanied by Billy Mills. W e had a bus to take us from the Huntington Hotel to Stan’s home and back. On our return trip the bus driver got into a rage and jammed the bus on a curve between the walls on each side o f the narrow road. It was a horrifying experience. All o f us finally got out of the bus, walked down the canyon, and then waited and waited to find some form o f transportation to the Hotel.

I have always been grateful that I had a long and intimate associ­ ation with Bing Baily. H e was a splendid General Secretary and he gave much to our Fraternity. The Baily Brothers—Ed, Bing, and Irv—never failed the Amherst chapter or the Fraternity. T o me Bing’s greatest contribution to life was his outstanding character and nobility o f thought.

W ilbur Dunkle, Indiana ’22, was a District Chief with me. H e distinguished himself as a college professor and one year while he was studying at the Folger Shakespearean Library in Washington, D.C., he, his wife, and two children attended our church every Sunday. For me it was a year of rich reunion. One Sunday we had twenty-two undergraduates from different chapters in our con­ gregation.

I believe I spent as much time as any officer with the Johns Hopkins chapter. W hen I was a Chief I was a member o f the Special Chapter’s Commission which was concerned with Hop­ kins. From my arrival in W ashington in 1939 for over twenty years I worked with this chapter. T he housing was terrible. W e

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tried everything to get a new house. W e had loyal alumni and several excellent District Chiefs. Nothing succeeded. Finally, Jack Cody, recently graduated from the chapter, took hold and through him the new house was secured. Jack’s father, Pierce, is also a Beta and we were friends in the thirties. I am reminded o f a similar situation in the Nebraska chapter in the early fifties. W e had an unhealthy situation. On a trip to the chapter with District Chief Cal Black, an undergraduate named Andy Smith said to us, “If I could be Chapter President, I would straighten out our chap­ ter.” I said, “G et elected.” H e did and in one year Andy Smith brought the chapter to a place of high reputation and prominence.

M any times I have seen one man revive and transform a chapter.

After the death o f Clyde W . W arburton, number one on the Iowa State Roll, his widow gave me the Beta stickpin Clyde wore in college. Charlie Gutelius gave me the Beta pipe he smoked at the Put In Bay Convention. I turned both o f these treasures over to the Archives.

On a trip to Ohio State I was taken through the house from top to bottom. Few will believe this, but up on the third floor o f the old house there was a closet in which were carelessly stored many pictures by George Bellows. T he pictures were not even protected with a covering. I told the members of the chapter how invaluable these pictures were and urged that they be safeguarded. T oday in the new house these pictures make beautiful panels on the walls of the great living room.

In one o f the chapters I visited when I was General Secretary the members were complaining they never heard from the General Fraternity. W e went down into the basement and by a turn of fate someone opened the top drawer o f an old chest. There were dozens of unopened letters in envelopes with the name and address o f the Administrative Office, the General Secretary, the General Treasurer, and the District Chief. M oral: Don’t try to hide your shortcomings—but on second thought— college men are pretty busy and should they be expected to open and read letters?

During my final year in St. Lawrence University Theological School I attended lectures at Union Theological School, N ew York City. H ere was the group of Betas who used to lunch together: Emerson H . Lalone, St. Lawrence ’21, minister o f the Universalist

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Church o f Good Tidings, Brooklyn; Van Horne Gledhill, St. Lawrence ’21, honor student, Columbia Law School (died shortly after graduation); F. Law Comstock, Union ’20, later a District Chief and lawyer in Gloversville, New York; Carrol M . Shanks, Washington (Seattle) ’20, later President of Prudential Life Insurance Company; Howard Meneely, W ashington (Seattle) ’21.1 later knew Howard when he was a Professor o f H istory at Dartmouth. W hen he became President o f W heaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, I preached the Installation Sermon.

W illiam O. Douglas, W hitman ’20, who became a Justice o f the Supreme Court, joined this group regularly.

I am thankful I could visit the Idaho chapter in the days o f Dean Jay G. Eldridge, Idaho ’96. T o meet him was to catch the ultimate o f what the Fraternity meant in one man’s life. H e and his Beta son worshipped one Sunday in our church.

One o f the greatest all-time Betas was Billy Graves, Ohio State ’93. James Thurber, the author, and Billy were intimate friends.

James Thurber in an article which he wrote for The New Yorker stated that Billy Graves had visited the Beta Theta Pi house at Ohio State over five thousand times. There was hardly a day that Billy did not drop into the house if only for a few minutes. This was also true of H arry Eggleston, St. Lawrence ’ 10. H arry served for a time as District Chief o f III. W hen he was retired and living in the old home in Canton, New York, there was never a day he didn’t make at least one trip to the St. Lawrence Beta house.

I spoke at a large banquet in the W hitman chapter house. T hat night I had a stimulating visit with Chester Maxey, W hitman ’ 12, who for many years was the outstanding President o f W hitman College. H e was also an outstanding and loyal Beta.

Sumter Davis M arks, Jr., Tulane ’14, and I were Chiefs to­ gether. His name fascinated me. W hen I inquired from him about it he said his father was born the day Fort Sumter was fired upon.

H e was named Sumter for the Fort and Davis for Jefferson Davis.

T he name was handed down to a distinguished District Chief and lawyer.

On a visit to Virginia I had a talk with the Housemother. I have seen fraternity houses which presented a more attractive and

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cleaner appearance. I asked the Housemother what her duties were. She replied, “ I ’m here to play bridge with the boys.”

N o one has experienced one o f the weirdest things in our Fra­ ternity until he visits the Stevens chapter. A fter dinner for some strange reason one o f the great “ritual rites” o f this chapter takes place. All lights are extinguished. In the dark a march begins which in some way winds around a core. T he line gets tighter and tighter and the circle shows more pressure. Finally, at the moment o f consummate jubilation the spring is relaxed. Everyone shouts.

Lights come on. I, for one, thanked God I still had clothes on my back and that I could probably make it home in my beaten-up and stepped-on shoes.

In the early fifties I was called to Carnegie Tech. A meeting with the chapter and alumni was held in the old house, which was literally falling in. T he chapter was down as low as possible. T he undergraduates that night were in revolt and talked about getting out o f the Fraternity. No m atter what anyone may say about college-owned fraternity housing, the house Carnegie Tech built for us in return for our old building gave us decent living conditions and turned a defeated chapter into a triumphant one.

One noon I arrived at the Colorado chapter. D istrict Chief Kniseley was with me. It was an hour o f attainment and glory.

T he night before for some reason, known only to those who do not reveal some o f the hidden things in their minds, several mem­ bers o f the chapter had thrown the wooden porch furniture into the street and smashed it.

One night at M .I.T . a lad introduced himself to me as Todd W yman. I said I ’ll bet your mother’s name was Anne Todd and your father was a Minneapolis Beta, RonaldW yman. T he boy nearly fell over. I had known Anne Todd when she was a student at St. Lawrence. I remembered she had married a Ron W yman.

A t Bowdoin a pledge introduced himself to me. H e said his name was Lassoe. I asked him where he was from. H e said, Brooklyn.

Taking a wild fling I said, “ I’ll bet you have an aunt, Jo Lassoe.”

H e did. I had known Jo Lassoe many years.

T he 50th Anniversary at Oklahoma was memorable. Lee and Elaine Thompson had fifty o f us for luncheon. T h at night seven

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hundred and fifty gathered in the Scurven Hotel in Oklahoma City for the Banquet. A. J., as President, gave the address and I, as General Secretary, spoke briefly. W e attended the OklahomaColorado game with a hundred seats for Betas on the fifty-yard line. Before the game three hundred and fifty had luncheon at the chapter house. Sunday morning I conducted a religious service. I think the thought o f a Sunday morning service had the under­ graduates a little stunned, but it turned out to be an unforgettable hour. Oklahoma as a chapter has greatness. H ere one finds style, competitive spirit, generosity, and pride in our Fraternity.

John A. W illson, Colorado ’24, served as a District Chief. Jack was one o f the grandest fellows I have known. H e was tremen­ dously popular with his fellow Chiefs. H e was taken with a brain tumor and went through numerous operations. During his long illness we who had been in the Corps with him kept in touch with him and his wife. In 1953 at the Pasadena Convention a group of former Chiefs, headed by Bert Bennett and Dick Steele, drove fifty miles to the hospital where Jack was then a patient.

Dunny Clark was almost like a son to Shep. H erbert A. Vance, St. Lawrence ’24, and I went from St. Lawrence to Gouverneur, New York to attend Dunny’s wedding, when he married one of my dear friends, beautiful Bess McFall.

Johnny Blair was an extremely handsome man. H e was a superb speaker and could move any Beta gathering. H e was a person of dignity, charm, and rare spiritual power.

Jimmy Brown, who for many years was Keeper of the Rolls, was diminutive in size. I always had the feeling his first thought on awakening in the morning was Beta Theta Pi. His Beta hero was W illiam Raimond Baird. W henever Jimmy spoke he was sure to refer to, “ M y friend, Baird.”

T he commonest question I was asked on chapter visitations when I was General Secretary was, “ Do you live in Oxford?”

T he next question which followed was, “ Do you travel all the time for the Fraternity?”

One night when I was at the Duke chapter with Clem Holding’ a Freshman said he didn’t know much about other chapters in the Fraternity, but he wanted to tell me that I was now visiting the Fraternity’s greatest chapter. A t another chapter a lad came up to

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me when as General Secretary I was making a visitation and asked, “ Do you hold any office in the Fraternity?”

On a visit with District Chief Meid Compton to W abash we were greeted by two huge cartons o f old shoes and boots outside the front door o f the chapter house. During dinner an undergradu­ ate Beta drove his motorcycle on to the porch outside the French doors on the dining room. I had been called upon to speak. M y cyclist brother left his machine chugging while I tried to speak.

This was in the pre-beatnik era.

A t v a n h o r n e s v i l l e , N ew York, the children o f Owen D Young

built a beautiful Library and Office for their father. Once when I was in Owen D Young’s office Phil, Dick, and I convened a brief Beta meeting. I thought of John Young, St. Lawrence ’24, who was killed in an accident at the end o f his Sophomore year. I wish John could have been with us. He is buried in the cemetery on the hill behind the Library.

Nich Chapman and I served together as Chiefs. H e was one of the finest men I have known. H e suffered a long and crippling illness. Years later when I was speaking at a Banquet in the Oregon chapter house his two Beta sons carried him in that he might be present. Nich and I had a glad reunion. Tom Chapman, Oregon ’51, who is the son o f Nich became a D istrict Chief.

Ed Power, when he was Chief, and I travelled through his Dis­ trict many, many times. There was never a dull moment when travelling with Ed. H e had a tremendous influence on his chapters and he built up a powerful District. His father, Edward M. Power, Jr., W and J ’98, whom I knew, was an active and devoted Beta until his death.

John A. Maxwell, Davidson ’10, gave constant support to the Washington Association. The Fraternity played a large part in his life. H e had a lingering illness. I officiated at his funeral.

T he Board o f Trustees asked me to survey the University o f the South. I was not an officer at the time. M y report to the Board was that I had seen one o f the most attractive educational institutions and that we had a splendid opportunity to establish a Beta chapter.

N o visit I ever made was better arranged for me by an institu­ tion than the Sewanee visit. T he Vice Chancellor, who was Presi­

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dent, the Deans, the Faculty, IFC Members, met with me and invited us to come on the campus. W e were promised housing and for two years each chapter in existence at Sewanee could pledge no more than fifteen men so that we would get a full quota. T he whole transaction was handled with skill and good sense.

One day with Jim Johnson, George Shields, and Ralph Edgerton we drove from Moscow, Idaho to Pasco, Washington. W e went through deep snow, sunshine, heat, rain, hail as large as horsechestnuts, wind, cold, and a starlight night with a full moon. On that trip to the Northw est I spoke to thirteen chapters, several alumni associations, and at the Northw est Sing where over four hundred gathered in Vancouver, B.C. This was one o f the most memorable trips I made.

On my more than seven hundred chapter visitations I am per­ suaded I have eaten as many hamburgers, frankfurters, and potato chips as any man who entered the world o f Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. I am sure I have seen more catsup and mustard than any layman who has not manufactured and bottled these products.

W hen I was General Secretary a few days before leaving for the 1957 Poland Springs Convention, I had a telephone call from the University o f W ichita. T he University wanted national and general fraternities on their campus. I was told there was a very strong desire to have Beta Theta Pi. There was in existence a well-organized, housed local which was over twenty years old.

This group hoped to become one o f our chapters. A t the Board meetings at Poland Springs we discussed the matter. Bert Bennett and Spig Fawcett were appointed to make an official visitation. On the first anniversary o f the installation of the chapter I went out to W ashington at St. Louis, Kansas, and Kansas State, T w o W ichita boys drove to Manhattan, Kansas to get me. N ever will I forget the drive over narrow, winding, hilly roads at eighty and ninety miles an hour. It was a relief to reach the W ichita chapter house where a large luncheon was held. A t night I spoke in a downtown hotel at the Banquet which was largely attended. District Chief Conwell Smith was there. W e had a torrential rain. W hen I reached the railroad station around midnight the rain was pouring through the roof. I learned that my train for Chicago would not arrive until 3 a .m . There was a bum sleeping off a drunk on one of

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the waiting room benches. Police arrived and escorted him out of the station. W ith the rain, the late hour, the dreariness o f the scene, and this poor creature, I felt desolate. A middle-aged man and woman had been sitting near me. As the scene with the police unfolded I said, “There but for the Grace o f God go I.” T he woman asked, “Are you a minister?” I said, “Yes.” She replied, “ I thought you were when I saw you come into the station.” I never thought my looks were that revealing.

W hen I spoke to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Convention in 1962 at Grove Park Inn, Asheville, N orth Carolina, we had a violent storm. After the Banquet at which I had spoken I stood in line with the President, M rs. W hitney, shaking hands for two hours.

H er husband, Dick W hitney, and I had gone to Sunday School together. Just as the reception ended every light in the Inn went out. W e were in total darkness and there was I with five hundred Kappas. T he lights remained out for two hours. This was another first for Beta T heta Pi—and me.

W hen I spoke at the Kappa Alpha T heta Convention in 1963 at Banff, I saw installed as President M rs. Harold G. Edwards, who had a Beta husband and a Beta son.

I had the honor o f meeting with the Board o f Trustees of Phi Delta T heta in Columbus, Ohio.

By invitation of FarmHouse I attended their Convention at Kellogg Institute at Michigan State University. I spent five days, attended all the sessions, met with the Board o f Trustees, and gave the closing address. I was told I was the first outside observer FarmHouse had ever invited to one of its Conventions.

A t one o f the Conventions at Mackinac Island I was rooming on the top floor o f the Grand Hotel. Charlie Gutelius shared the room with me. T hat night we had about the w orst thunder and lightning storm I have witnessed. T he roof began to leak and rain dripped on me. I got up and moved my bed only to have the roof again leak over me. Charlie Gutelius was annoyed because he was dry and wanted to sleep. I dressed and in the small hours walked down the stairs. On the way I met a St. Lawrence undergraduate Beta from my church in Malden, Massachusetts. I told him of my distress and with the glibness o f a youth who was having a wonderful time he asked me if I would like to sleep in his bathtub. I went down to

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the lobby, which was pitch dark, and curled up on a divan. Behind me on another divan were two young guests of the hotel. T hey had had a lover’s quarrel. On the half-hour they would make up, and on the hour they would break up. This went on with me afraid to move. T he story of that night will not be entered in any diary I write as “ some enchanted evening.”

The W and J chapter house should have been razed thirty years ago. There are justifiable reasons why we have not found decent and adequate housing on this campus. On a visit with Ron Helman we called on one o f the Deans. 1 asked him how he would describe the Beta chapter and the men in it. H e thought and thought and rubbed his nose. H e then spoke, “Affluent!”

One o f the most miserable days I spent in a chapter house was with Clem Holding at N orth Carolina. It was early fall and had turned very cold. There was no heat because it was the house boy’s day off. I suggested we might have a fire in the fireplace. It seemed to me there must have been a “long form” chapter meeting before the Sons o f Dixie could get the kindling, the logs, and light the fire. By then Clem and I were too cold to be thawed out. I have always thought this was a perfect w ay to punish the General Secretary.

A t the Miami Convention in 1954 Ralph Fey and I were in charge o f the program. I had the responsibility that came with being General Secretary, Board meetings, and a crucial question on the Convention floor about a restrictive clause. The Banquet speaker was to have been President John R. Cunningham, W est­ minster ’14, o f Davidson College. Late on the day before the Banquet Dr. Cunningham phoned he could not be present. W hat to do for a speaker! T he Board met and as though I had nothing to do everyone turned to me and said, “Seth, you speak.” This I did.

It was with the deepest regret I learned from Ralph Fey that he would have to give up as Administrative Secretary. I knew it had to come on our tenure arrangement and because Ralph wished to get into business. One day Ralph phoned me and said, “ I feel we have our man. I ’m going to send a chap named Fred Brower over to see you.” Fred came and the minute he stepped into my office I knew he was the man for the job. Fred and I talked many times

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about his leaving. W e knew he had to end his term with us and I think he was ready to get started in his own business. One day on the train between Auburn, Alabama, and Atlanta Fred said, “ I think I know the man to take over after me.” Shortly after our conversation on the train Ron Helman came to Washington for a meeting with me. I had the same experience with him I had had with Fred Brower. I knew we had the right man. N o Fraternity could have found three such outstanding Administrative Secretaries as did we, and think o f it, in succession.

W hen Bill Kimmel, Dickinson ’19, was Chief in the New York area one night when he was leaving the city on a Beta trip two detectives nabbed him as he walked through the train gate at Penn Station. H e was taken to Police Headquarters where he was de­ tained and questioned for hours. H e perfectly fit the description of a much-wanted fugitive from justice.

George M . Chandler and I had a close relationship. W e both lived in W ashington at the same time for many years. N o more dedicated Beta than George ever lived. I sometimes felt he did not get his full recognition or reward in Beta T heta Pi. I know at one time in his life he had his heart set on becoming General Secretary.

T hat did not happen. Beta T heta Pi must always be indebted to George Chandler for his wise and shrewd advice about expansion.

Along with this let us remember that Shep played an important part in expansion, but it never equalled, in my opinion, the part George Chandler and G. H erbert Smith had in the expansion plan we followed. H erb Smith was brilliant in this field and guided us for years. George Chandler would say to me, “Seth, have you ever been to the H oly Land?” I would reply, “N o.” George would say, “You must go—it’s all so simple.” Then he would add, “Seth, keep Beta Theta Pi simple.” I have always felt that much o f the secret of what we are as a Fraternity is that we have kept our organization and program “ simple.”

Once when District Chief Phil M orris and I visited Wisconsin we stayed in a motel which had been freshly painted. W e both got a mild form o f paint poisoning and were desperately ill. Another time I stayed in the Colgate Inn. Fred Brower and then General Secretary Paul Van Riper were on the trip. I slept in a room which

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had just been painted and the next day I had such an effect from the paint and was so sick I did not think I could continue the trip to Union—but I did.

Then D istrict Chief Columbus Barber and I started back to­ gether from the Convention at Glen wood Springs, Colorado. W e got to Pueblo and found a rail strike had been called. W e spent hours and hours in Pueblo. Finally we got to La Junta. From there we moved on to Dodge C ity and then to Kansas City. W e found a train on the W abash Railroad which took us to Cincinnati. W e finally reached Cincinnati and at last got home to Washington.

Ben Grosscup lived a large part o f his life in the Fraternity. H e had a Beta father, Beta uncle, and Beta son. N o one could compute the hours and hours he devoted for two years to the revision of T he Code. Ben was an excellent Board member. H e kept the Board Room filled with cigar smoke. H e was a generous host and in his beautiful home on one o f the lakes in Seattle he made one feel that life’s journey was something for which a man should be thankful.

A t one o f the Mackinac Conventions I had breakfast with Jim Gavin. A fter he had fruit and cereal he enjoyed eight lamb chops.

A fter Jim’s death I never went to Indianapolis without calling M rs. Gavin or sending her flowers.

Ford W eber was one o f those time-tested, true, self-giving Betas. H e was an excellent General Treasurer. A t Board meetings I often felt he played the devil’s advocate. A t times he would take the darndest positions and almost w orry us to death. However, I soon learned that Ford would usually come up with the right answer. There was no one who was more understanding, kind, generous, and brotherly than Ford W eber. In later years I came to know his Beta brother, Bob. I made o f the greatest devotees to our Fraternity there would be the name o f Stanley Hornbeck. H e was a brilliant mind, gallant gentleman, and eminent teacher, writer, and states­ man. I have known no man who appreciated being a Beta more than did he. H e was absolutely loyal to every Beta commitment.

H e was an example o f what a true and unfailing member o f our Fraternity should be. During his last illness I went every day to see O

n any list

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him. I officiated at his funeral and at his request had the Committal and said the final words as he was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. As the gun caisson stopped at the burial site I was fairly overwhelmed to find that Stanley was buried in the same section with Bill Dawson, Ray Cheseldine, and George Chandler.

I do not know how much I taught D istrict Chiefs, but many of them will admit to one thing: I always told my Chiefs when they began their work that when they went to a chapter for an Initia­ tion to get something to eat about four o’clock. T hey would dis­ cover the Initiation slated for 5 p .m . would begin near 7 p .m . and the Banquet scheduled for 6:30 would begin near 9 p .m . I told them that the pangs of hunger could become tormenting to him who at 4 p .m . had not cared for the physical man. I also told them to make their chapter visit and get out o f the house without over­ staying their welcome.

I preached a Lenten Sermon to a capacity congregation in the Mizpah Baptist Church, Syracuse, N ew York. After this Noonday Union Service many friends I had known at St. Lawrence and in Central N ew York came up to greet me. I was leaving the Sanctu­ ary when I heard an elderly man calling to me. As he came down the center aisle he was waving his hand and saying, “ Don’t go way, I want to give you the grip—I ’m a Beta ‘T hate’, too.” H e had been a member o f the Colgate chapter in the early nineties.

One night when I was speaking at a Parent-Teacher’s Associa­ tion in Pelham, N ew York, Clarence G . Campbell, Boston ’05, offered me the Badge o f his uncle, W illiam Raimond Baird. Clar­ ence Campbell had served as a District Chief. H e had not been to a Convention for years. I suggested he come to Bigwin the follow­ ing August and at the Convention there present this valuable Badge to be worn by the Editor o f The Magazine. H e and M rs.

Campbell came to Bigwin and in a moving tribute to his uncle and the Fraternity he gave the Badge which ever since our Editors have worn.

Weddings at which I officiated were those of O tto Kohler and Jeff Farmer who were in the M .I.T . chapter when I was Chief.

I officiated at the marriage o f Charles H . H ittson who became a D istrict Chief.

W hen I was General Secretary my secretary, Hope Dixon, and

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I began our day at the office at 7 a . m . W e would do Beta work and the mail until 10 a .m . or 11 a .m . I would spend the afternoon in the Parish and return to the office around 4 p .m . to sign mail. W e cleared each day’s work before we left. During those ten years it was my policy to be on the road about two weeks of each month.

This enabled me to make numerous visitations. In these Memoirs I wish to pay tribute to the outstanding service Hope Dixon rendered our Fraternity, and, especially, for the manner in which she carried on much o f the work when I was on the road.

T w o o f my initial responsibilities on becoming General Secre­ tary were to deal with situations at St. Lawrence and W ittenberg.

St. Lawrence has always been a top Beta chapter. In the early fifties there was grave internal trouble and the chapter was in difficulty. I went to St. Lawrence and met with the chapter and alumni in the Temple. In the simplest words I could use I told them the Board had empowered me to carry out any action I felt necessary in connection with the chapter. I added that they were to put their house in order at once or I would go so far as to recom­ mend to the Board that we no longer had at St. Lawrence a chapter worthy o f our heritage and that the Charter should be taken away.

Those who heard me were stunned into silence. No one spoke to me that night and the next morning when I left no one saw me off or said good-by to me as I took the early train. This was one o f the hardest things I ever had to do for I loved Beta Zeta chapter dearly.

Later Atwood Manley, whom I followed as Chief in District III, wrote in the chapter publication, which went to all alumni, that as angry as the active chapter members were at me that night a new chapter was born.

I went to W ittenberg with District Chief Chuck Kent. Andy Nicholoff was there. A t noon I spoke to the alumni at a luncheon at the country club. I met that afternoon with the handful of men who made up the chapter and lived in the pitiful house we called ours. It was a sorry affair. A t dinner in the basement before I spoke some of the boys left. Andy had to go find them and bring them back. Things were so bad it seemed there was little hope o f our continuing. T h at night Andy and I went to a little store and had a cup o f coffee. W e were weighing what to do. Chuck Kent had gone back to Columbus. I said, “ Let’s walk around the block

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once and when we get back to the house decide.” As we stood in front o f the house I said, “Andy, I ’m ready to go along with this if you are.” Andy replied, “ I’m ready, too.” From that day for­ ward the chapter began to climb. T he new house was built and dedicated. W ittenberg again became one o f our great chapters. It was a proud experience for me to appoint Andy Nicholoff a Dis­ trict Chief and to watch him serve with dedication and distinction.

W hen “Total Opportunity” came to Williams College I rec­ ommended to the Board that we leave the campus at once. I was in the minority as only one member o f the Board stood with me.

I have never changed my mind. I believe I was right and that we should have left Williams with the announcement o f “Total Opportunity.” W e were forced out in an unseemly manner.

W hen H al Brown was District Chief we made a visit to Beloit.

W e were provided a room in the chapter house. T here was a double decker bed. H al got into the upper and I into the lower.

T he bed swayed and H al called to me, “ I can’t sleep in this thing.”

W e got up and tried to lift the top section to the floor. W e couldn’t budge it. Some of the boys heard us and came to our room. T he fellow who slept in the lower had a radio, electric clock, and every­ thing but a dishwashing machine rigged up to the springs o f the upper bed. All the wires had to be taken apart and everything detached before the upper could be placed on the floor. I’ve often thought those boys could have murdered H al and me.

I travelled hundreds o f miles through Indiana with D istrict Chief Meid Compton. On one trip I asked him how he became a Beta. H e told me that his mother graduated from Indiana Univer­ sity. She was not a member o f a sorority. W hen Meid and his brother, Bill, who is a Beta, were growing up and preparing to enter Indiana she would say to them, “ I f you can ever become Betas, that’s what I want you to be. T he finest boys and the most outstanding gentlemen I knew in college were members o f Beta Theta P i.”

W hen I was Chief in District II on one o f my visits to the Yale chapter my knock on the door was answered by the Negro house­ man. I told him who I was and o f my connection with the Fra­ ternity. H e was w ary about letting me in, but did, and told me, yea, commanded me to wait in the hall. I obeyed and he disap­

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peared. I heard him call to one o f the members o f the chapter and say, “ You better come down here because the Superintendent has arrived and wants to see someone about the Fraternity.” I told this at the Old Point Comfort Convention in 1930. For years among the Chiefs I had the title o f “Superintendent.”

A t the Muskoka Convention in 1931 it rained the entire time we were at the Royal Muskoka H otel except for two or three hours the final afternoon. T h at hotel later burned to the ground.

W hen Jim Johnson was a Vice President and Trustee he along with District Chief Ned T racy and I spent a night at the Arlington Club in Portland, Oregon. It is a renowned Club. There were no keys for the rooms. Jim went down to the desk and asked the clerk for a key. T he clerk replied, “W e have no keys.” Jim said, “But I like to lock my door when I go to bed.” T he clerk replied, “Sir, we are all gentlemen here.” M y room was furnished with antiques.

T he bed was so high I had to go up a little pair o f steps to get into bed. Peril to life and limb came when one tried to get out o f bed and descend the steps. On that trip when I spoke to the Portland alumni I was introduced by one o f my former Chiefs, Governor M ark Hatfield, number one on the Roll o f the W illam ette chapter.

I went to Hartford, Connecticut, to m arry Nancy Steele, daughter o f Dick and Helen. There was a large Saturday evening church wedding, followed by a reception at the country club where Dick was President. I left on the 9:30 p .m . sleeper for W ashing­ ton. I got as far as N ew Haven. A freight wreck had blocked the tracks. A t 3 a . m . I got dressed, left the train, and from the New Haven railroad station called Hope Dixon. She secured a retired professor in our church who kindly took the service. His wife was the daughter o f a great St. Lawrence Beta, Frank Nash Cleaveland, St. Lawrence ’77. I reached home at 2 p .m . Sunday.

W hen I was General Secretary I received in the mail a Pledge Button. W ith it came a letter from an heart-broken mother. This Pledge Button had been worn twenty-five years before by her husband. H e had preserved it for his son to wear. T he son had gone to college and the Betas had not pledged him. N ow the mother was returning the Pledge Button to me and heaping scorn upon the Fraternity. M oral: Don’t think anything guarantees that a Beta’s son will become a Beta. One o f the painful chapters o f Beta history

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is about legacies who were not taken. It is this very process which makes a fraternity what it is. Membership should never be auto­ matically guaranteed anyone.

I did much cold weather driving with Fred Brower. H e would close every window tightly on his station wagon, turn on the heater, and take off his hat and coat. There I would be in winter suit, overcoat, wool socks, muffler, and gloves. H ow Brower made me suffer! W hen I rode in Jim Johnson’s station wagon no window could be opened because it would make Jim ’s ankles cold.

Early one morning I arrived in Colorado Springs. As I got off the train from St. Louis, Doc Shattuck met me. H e said, “ I have a great treat in store for you.” H e did! H e started to drive me up Pike’s Peak. T he only thing I like less than automobile driving is to do it to climb mountains. Halfway up the atmospheric pressure affected a filling in one o f my teeth. I thought there was a knife being driven through the top o f my head. I couldn’t take it any longer, so Doc turned around, and we descended. H e took me to the Garden o f the Gods. I was more at home there and it was much more peaceful than trying for a record o f “Pike’s Peak or bust!”

W e had a Board meeting at the Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Virginia. I was given the honor o f being assigned to a room which had been a former slave quarter. It was slavery all right as all the heating pipes for the club ran through that room.

T hey could not be turned off. As the moment o f my suffocation arrived I opened the door on to the golf course and slept all night with the door wide open.

100th Anniversary o f Bethany was an outstanding affair.

W e met in a large country club outside Wheeling, W est Virginia.

Forrest Kirkpatrick, Bethany ’27, was Toastm aster and did one of the ablest jobs one could do. I had the honor o f speaking to over four hundred and fifty alumni and undergraduates. Prior to the Anniversary the Board o f Trustees met in Pittsburgh, attended an Alumni Banquet there, visited Carnegie Tech, and on the way to the Bethany Anniversary was entertained by the W and J chapter and their alumni at a reception in the Chapter House.

T he 50th Anniversary at Utah was an unforgettable experience.

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The attendance was very large and the spirit at a high pitch. T he chapter presented me at the banquet after I had spoken with a tan camel’s hair jacket with a hand-sewn Beta Coat o f Arms on the left breast. This jacket is one o f my choicest possessions.

W hen I spoke at the 7 5th Anniversary at Nebraska I was made an Admiral o f the Nebraska Navy. On Beta visits to Denver and Oklahoma C ity the Mayors o f these two cities made me an H onorary Citizen. On my desk I have a magnificent desk set presented me by the Kansas State chapter after I spoke at its 50th Anniversary.

On a trip to N orth Carolina Clem Holding and Pete Atkins, who was then District Chief, and I had dinner in a leading hotel.

W hile we were eating Pete jumped up. It wasn’t funny. His seat was burning terrifically. W e went to the men’s room with him where he was in agony. W e finally got some lotion to ease his pain. It turned out that the day before the seats o f the chairs in the dining room had been washed with a cleaning fluid. This fluid burned through the seat o f Pete’s pants. It was a weird experience and one which had all three o f us concerned. Pete went home that night. I was so concerned I called him the next day and learned he was much better.

It is not widely known but Case Institute asked me to advise with them about college-built and owned fraternity housing. I had two meetings at Case with Administration Officers who went and visited housing developments I suggested they should see. T he present fraternity housing at Case is much along the line I first discussed with Dean Baker.

T he Penn chapter is a chapter I have visited more times than I can count. For years it was one o f our stellar chapters. There fol­ lowed years o f stumbling. W henever I think o f this chapter I am aware of the unfailing loyalty o f its alumni. H ow they have stood by! N o one could have blamed them for washing their hands o f the chapter. Countless men have persisted to keep this chapter alive.

Credit is due a dozen men, but no one could fail to be touched by the devotion and support shown by Bill Scheetz.

T he Fort Lauderdale alumni had been after me for a long time to speak at an Annual Dinner. Going entailed a long journey and expense to the General Fraternity. I discussed the matter with the

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Board and they thought I should go. Go I did. T he Banquet was held in an upstairs room o f a night spot. T he Toastm aster had arranged for the floor show to come upstairs and entertain the fifty Betas and their wives. T he Toastm aster was highly nervous. He wanted to know whether I could make my talk limited to ten minutes. I said, no. H e then wantedm e to speak during the dessert course. I finally thought I ’d better get this over with. W ith people still eating I spoke, but I confess I didn’t care too much. T he Oriental belly dancers came on and did everything in the book. I made a resolve that I would no longer accept Beta speaking en­ gagements unless it was understood that if I spent my time and money o f the Fraternity to keep such an engagement, I would have not only equal time with belly dancers but all the time I needed to tell the Beta Story.

T he Ohio chapter is one I have visited many times. I was pres­ ent at three important events in the history o f this chapter. One, I attended the meeting when the new house was planned. Tw o, I gave the address at the dinner when the new house was dedicated.

Three, with the Board o f Trustees I attended the 125th Anniver­ sary o f the chapter and the next morning in the University Chapel conducted the service and brought the Message. This Anniversary was a moving experience and it was highlighted by the spirit of worship and reverence felt in the Chapel on Sunday morning. W e met as a Beta family at worship.

T he daughter o f Cal Black was married by me in the Side Chapel of our church. I watched Jincy and young Cal grow up. M y affec­ tion for them is deep and genuine.

I have been blessed with several visits to the Minnesota chapter.

This chapter has a long list o f distinguished alumni. Space does not permit their names to be listed. I mention a few who were exem­ plary Betas and gentlemen: Charles Sommers, Bob Thompson, Ray Knight, and Bill Childs. T hey were typical o f the towering figures who made this chapter a monument in our history. The men I have mentioned were followed by others like Spig Fawcett, Pete Greiner, and Paul Hetland. It was with gratitude I accepted the invitation to speak at the 7 5th Anniversary o f Minnesota. The week-end was superbly planned and carried out. Saturday o f the Anniversary the house was crowded with alumni and their wives.

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T he Banquet in a large hotel struck a high hour. There is always rich sentiment when a chapter reaches its 25th, 50th, 75th, 100th, or 125th Anniversary.

Our Fraternity should remember how indebted it is to Howard Law, Penn ’35, who after the death o f Jim Gavin, who had been General Treasurer forty-two years, took over the office and did a monumental work. Charlie Dykes and I began our terms together when I was elected General Secretary. Charlie was Assistant General Treasurer when he came to the 1950 Convention at Bigwin. H oward Law had just received a new office in a large company. H e had to resign as General Treasurer. I was sitting with the Board when Howard made his announcement. Someone said, “ Go find Charlie D ykes.” H e was brought into the Board Room and told he was to be elected General Treasurer. I thought Charlie would go through the floor. H e was an outstanding Gen­ eral Treasurer and how I enjoyed my years o f work and friendship with him.

M any persons have said to me that they supposed I spent a great deal o f time writing the Inter Fratres. I make this statement simply as a m atter of information. Almost every Inter Fratres which has appeared is just as I have dictated it except for minor corrections and the elimination o f superfluous words.

President Thomas Spragens on two occasions invited me to preach at the Chapel Service at Centre College. I enjoyed the ex­ perience and spoke to the whole student body and faculty. Dr. Spragens and I have been friends many years and he has always thought highly o f our Fraternity.

W hen I spoke at the Duke Greek W eek Banquet there were one thousand in attendance. I also spoke at G reek W eek at Georgia Tech. This banquet was largely attended. W hen I spoke at the Oklahoma State G reek W eek Banquet the sale o f tickets was stopped at eight hundred. I cite these cases to show the strength o f the Fraternity System. This is repeated year after year on the campuses across the land.

I officiated at the marriage o f Bob and Florence Frazier. Bob and I served together as Chiefs. H e was on the Board o f Trustees.

H e has had a distinguished career as a lawyer, public-spirited

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citizen, and world traveller. T he wedding ceremony was held in a little church in Virginia. Only Bob, Florence, and I were present.

I married Phil Young to Esther Fairley in the Universalist Church in Van Hornesville, N ew York. I married Phil’s daughter, Faith, to Bill Carmichael, Dean of the Graduate School o f Business and Public Administration at Cornell, in the same little church.

I married Phil’s daughter, Shirley, in our church to a graduate of W est Point, W alter E. Adams. I christened their three children.

Shep and I rode one day on the train from Boston to W illiamstown, Massachusetts. All the way as we crossed rivers, stopped at a railroad station, saw a name on a building, Shep would tell me some incident o f local history. H e was always a teacher and his­ torian. As I think o f him so often with admiration and affection I realize Shep was not a prophetic soul or voice. He would quote Roy Chapman Andrews, “T he past goes far back and is warm with life.” T hat classic statement seemed to express the theme which ran through Shep’s nature.

T he old W ooster chapter produced some o f the greatest Betas our Fraternity has known. One can recall J. Cal Hanna, Charles Moderwell, Ray W . Irvin, E. N . Chalfante, and Karl Marquis.

H ow deep the feeling o f these men was for Beta T heta Pi no w riter like myself has the power to describe.

One morning at the Bigwin Convention in 1966 District Chief George Applin, his wife, Peggy, and their children were having breakfast. I went over to their table to say good morning and jokingly added, “ George, stay as handsome as you are.” I turned to Peggy and said, “ If you ever have any trouble with George, just say, ‘George, stay as handsome as you are.’ ” Peggy exploded in laughter and said, “ If I ever did, I ’d have to go to confession.”

Horace Lozier had something about him which was almost not worldly. H e had some o f the qualities which must have been in the saints. Horace and I were dear friends. I will never forget him at a Bigwin Convention sitting at the piano and playing some o f the great Beta songs he had written as undergraduates gathered around him to sing. I knew Ken Rogers from my Freshman year. H e was physically frail, sensitive, artistic, and endowed with a wonderful gift o f music. I heard him introduce “ Marching Along.” I used

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to watch him as he would sit at the piano and play Beta songs.

Betas o f all ages would gather around and losing themselves sing the songs he contributed to our great store o f music.

The 75th Anniversary of the Nebraska chapter was memorable.

M any alumni and their families returned. Late in the morning there was a service o f dedication for the new wing to the chapter house. It was my privilege to cut the ribbon and make a few re­ marks o f dedication. A buffet luncheon followed in the new dining hall. M any o f us attended the football game in the afternoon. T he banquet brought out many hundred. A t this occasion I gave the Anniversary Address.

Sunday morning following the Anniversary Banquet at N e­ braska Burt Folsom and I attended an early service in the Presby­ terian Church where he was an Elder. It was for me an uplifted hour and I had the feeling o f being restored and renewed.

N o one can list the outstanding Betas from Nebraska. W e think of Ken W herry, Max M eyer, Jack W hitten (we were Chiefs together), the Folsom brothers, Tom and Paul Hyland, both Chiefs. It was at the 75th Anniversary that I witnessed the effec­ tive w ork o f then District Chief Burt Folsom. W hen we needed a General Treasurer my first thought was o f Burt and what an excellent General Treasurer he was.

District Chief H al Brown and I visited the Wisconsin chapter.

I had been on the road for days. A t W isconsin I spoke at a ban­ quet. A fter the meal was over members of the chapter wished to show H al and me around Madison. W e drove and drove, and, of course, I was given the usual tour o f churches. W e got back to the house after midnight. It was then suggested that H al and I climb the tower and get the view o f the campus and lakes. A t this point I asserted my prerogative and said, “Show me the way to go home.” the Mackinac Convention in 1956 then District Chief Pete Atkins and I went to the mainland on the same boat. There were several hours before the sleeper left for Detroit. T he bridge was being built across the Straits o f Mackinac. Pete and I walked over to the w ater to get a better view o f the construction. There was a little park with benches. Pete and I sat on one o f the benches A

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for two or three hours. It was an unforgettable visit and one of the pleasantest Beta experiences I have had. Once Fred Brower and I were hung up in Atlanta in a railroad station for hours. W e waited and waited for the arrival o f our train. W e talked about little with any plan or design but we talked about much. Once I got back from St. Lawrence twelve hours late. T h at was a lonely trip and there was no one with whom to talk. Once I left Cincinnati at 6:30 p .m . to be in Washington twelve hours later. T w o Diesel engines went off the tracks up in the mountains to the west o f Cumberland.

Everything was blocked. W e had to back fifty miles to Grafton and come out through M organtown and over the W estern M ary­ land Railroad. W e got to W ashington at 7 p .m .

Fred Dyar, Amherst ’98, had a distinguished career in W ashing­ ton. H e was a handsome man with great dignity and refinement.

Character showed in his life. 1 used to visit with him after he be­ came quite aged. H e would show me pictures o f his undergraduate days in the chapter at Amherst. In one o f these pictures he was standing next to Dwight W . M orrow, Amherst ’95. W hen I was Chief in District II Dwight M orrow, Jr. was in the Amherst chapter. Fred D yars’s daughter married W illiam F. Penniman, Jr., Pennsylvania ’34. I officiated at Fred D yar’s funeral.

T he 100th Anniversary at Ohio W esleyan was an unforgettable Beta highlight. Hundreds of Betas returned. On Saturday night at the Banquet in the Union A. J. G. Priest, who was President, gave a moving address. T he next morning in the University Chapel I preached to a large congregation o f undergraduates, Beta alumni, and their families. Everyone who took part in the service was a Beta. It had been arranged that at the conclusion o f the service W elles Stanley, Ohio W esleyan ’95, who was an eminent lawyer and Beta, would present as a gift from the Ohio W esleyan Beta chapter the Library o f Frank Gunsaulus, Ohio W esleyan ’75.

Frank Gunsaulus had been a renowned preacher and the first President o f Armour Institute. T he alumni o f the chapter had built magnificent cases which were to hold this valuable gift. M y old friend, Arthur S. Flemming, who was then President o f Ohio W esleyan, was to receive the gift. T he presentation statement made by W elles Stanley took one hour.

I had been asked to visit the University o f Puget Sound. Jim

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Johnson, who was then a Vice President, and Ned Tracy, who was a District Chief, accompanied me. President Franklin Thom p­ son o f Puget Sound welcomed us and provided a dinner at which Deans, Beta alumni o f Tacoma, and members o f a local fraternity were present. It was a day filled with pleasure and visiting. Later with General Secretary Moreau Brown, Jim Johnson, Ben Grosscup, Spig Fawcett, Ned Tracy, and many other Betas, I saw the chapter installed at Puget Sound. I gave the chapter its motto for its Coat o f Arms. I also selected as its heraldic designation the T ow er Bridge. Throughout the planning of this new chapter and the Installation of it the happiest person was a Beta whose zeal and enthusiasm have never waned—Cleone Soule, Miami ’10.

M any men, yea thousands o f them, have loved the Fraternity.

Among such men was Morris R. Ebersole, Cincinnati ’98. I first met M orrie at the Swamps cott Convention when I was a Fresh­ man. H e was kind to me when I visited the U .C.L.A. house.

M orrie served the Fraternity loyally as a D istrict Chief and in numerous ways. H e designed our Shingle. H e would be at any Beta gathering he could attend. H e was a man filled with enthusi­ asm. H e wrote me often in his later years when I was General Secretary. M orrie seemed to have affection for me, but he was bitter and felt the Fraternity had not recognized his contribution and service in its behalf. H e felt he had been passed by. W hen the 1953 Convention was to be held in Pasadena M orrie asked me if he could be Toastm aster at the Banquet. A. J. was President and we both felt M orrie should have this honor. H e proved a skillful Toastmaster who handled the evening in a gracious manner with sparkle and depth o f feeling.

W ords cannot express what my friendship with Gordon Smyth has meant to me. Gordon was outstanding as a District Chief, Trustee, Editor, Convention Banquet speaker, alumnus o f Penn­ sylvania, and in the business world. However, it has always been the character, ideals, and resoluteness of Gordon which have been a blessing to me and have made me thankful that I have known him since I was in my early twenties.

James A. Fee, Number one on the Roll o f the W hitman chapter, became a Federal Judge. H e was an intimate friend o f George Chandler. W hen Jim Fee was in W ashington he would get to­

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gether with George. On a few occasions I had the pleasure of being with them. H ere were two Betas from widely separated areas o f the country who shared the same devotion to the Fra足 ternity.

Ralph Fey and I met in N ew York C ity and at the N ew York Public Library on behalf o f Beta T heta Pi turned over to the Library the W illiam Raimond Baird Collection. It was an unfor足 gettable experience to meet with Library Officials, sign the docu足 ments, and see the books W illiam Raimond Baird had gathered and used placed in a special section in the stacks. T h at day Ralph and I had luncheon with Jerry Simpson, Carl Frische, Ed Brown, Sherwood Bonney, and D istrict Chief Bill Louth.

A t the 50th Anniversary o f the Illinois chapter the alumni gave Clarence Roseberry a check for one thousand dollars as an expres足 sion o f appreciation for his long service to the Illinois chapter.

Rosey took some of the money and flew to California to see Frank H . Holmes, Number One on the Illinois Rolls, who had not been physically able to make the trip. Rosey told Frank about the celebration and showed him scores o f pictures which had been taken. Rosey wrote me when I was General Secretary some o f the most critical letters I received, but I admired Rosey and knew that he always had the best interests o f the Fraternity and the Illinois chapter uppermost in his mind. H e was a great Beta and I admired him mainly because he never lowered his standards.

W hen I spoke at the National Panhellenic Conference banquet at H ot Springs, Arkansas, upon my arrival I was greeted by Ruth Brown, wife o f George M . Brown, and mother o f George, Don, and Rick. H arriet Frische, wife o f Carl Frische, was present and we had good visits.

I travelled so much for the Fraternity I got to the point where I could go for days with a small bag. Three things I never failed to take in my bag were rubbers, a sweater, and packages o f crackers and chocolates. T he latter may sound rather foolish, but again and again when no food was available I found I was very thankful to have something to eat.

As I travelled the railroads I am sure that on the Eastern lines every effort was made to make passengers uncomfortable. Again and again I spent hours in cars which had been grossly neglected.

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Numerous times the heat could not be shut off, air conditioning didn’t work, and in the dead o f winter there would be no heat.

Usually the cars were very dirty and often the upholstery was soiled, torn, and sometimes enough to make one sick. Meals in the Diner went down steadily and constantly cost more. Service be­ came worse and worse until there was practically no service at all.

One o f the most scenic rides I have taken was with Charlie Dykes from Colgate to Ithaca. W e had visited Colgate and went on for a dinner at the Cornell house. M y train was not leaving until after midnight. Between the conclusion o f the dinner and the departure o f my train I had an unforgettable visit in the D ykes’ home with Charlie, Doris, and their daughter, Susie. Years later I had the same kind o f visit with then Chief Jim M artin and his wife. M y train did not leave until 2 a . m . W e sat and visited until it was time to leave for the station.

Thad Byrne has been a stalwart in our Fraternity. H e is an ex­ ample o f loyalty and service. N o m atter where he has been on the 8th o f August he has sent me a greeting on the anniversary o f our founding.

On a visit to the Texas chapter M ark M yers arranged for me to speak in the Presbyterian Church where he was active. A t that time the annual budget o f the church was over $400,000.00.

W hen Irv W ensink was a D istrict Chief we kept in close con­ tact and frequently discussed Fraternity affairs. A fter Irv retired from the C h ief s Corps he continued to help and assist me in con­ nection with my being President. Irv knew much about fraterni­ ties, publishing, and was a person o f the highest ideals which he associated with Beta T heta Pi. On the way to the Pasadena Convention in 1953 a new District Chief, A1 Kelsey, and his wife, Pat, were on the train. I learned that Pat was the daughter o f Glenn Dorr, an A T O classmate of mine at St. Lawrence.

Some o f m y very enjoyable Beta experiences were with John T urner when he was a District Chief. Usually when I came into Chicago he would meet me for breakfast or luncheon. W e made several chapter visitations together and I found that John was a person o f noble principles and optimistic spirit.

N o one has loved the Fraternity more than did A rt Hughes. As

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a District Chief he gave his chapters everything he had. H e was immensely proud of his D istrict XX, which again and again under him was a leading District.

In N ew York C ity it was a pleasure to see District Chief Bill Louth. H e helped me several times on matters with which he was familiar and could give me expert advice. H e has headed Medallic A rts which produced several beautiful Beta commemorative medal­ lions.

I knew Ray Buchanan, Colgate ’22, as a High School friend. A t the Glenwood Springs Convention it was a pleasant surprise to have the Colgate Delegate introduce himself to me as Ray’s son.

Deb Secrist left an unforgettable record o f achievement as an undergraduate at W and J. H e has been an eminent physician in Arizona. H e served as a District Chief. H e has three sons, all Sigma Chis. On the Sunday Deb’s oldest son entered George Washington University Medical School, Deb and he attended our morning church service. Deb told someone they had taken a very early plane that they might be in our church the morning o f the day his son entered upon his medical career.

Going out o f Chicago to the 1953 Pasadena Convention we had three special cars on the rear o f the train. Both Clarence L. N ew ­ ton and George M . Chandler were in wheelchairs. T hey made the train trip gamely. Few persons know this, but Joe Romoda in­ tended to go from Pasadena to Northern California for a vacation.

W hen he learned there was no one to go back on the train with N ew t he gave up his plans and accompanied N ew t to Chicago. Joe put N ew t on the Boston train, phoned Dorothy Newton, who met her father on his arrival.

W hen Carl Sorensen was a District Chief we had many good times together. I enjoyed knowing his wife, two daughters, and young Carl. W hen the Syracuse chapter was re-installed it was my duty to speak for the Fraternity at the Banquet. It was a splendid affair except for two drunks who tried to break up the banquet.

Moreau Brown, as General Secretary, Paul Van Riper, and others attended. A t the banquet there were the Presidents o f forty-five fraternities and sororities on the Syracuse campus. I did not get a connection out o f Syracuse until the early hours o f the morning.

Carl Sorensen was with me. I tried and tried to get him to go home,

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but he would not leave me until I was aboard the train and under­ way I had the pleasure o f visiting with President Harold P. Rodes, several Deans, and faculty members at a luncheon at General M otors Institute when we were considering granting a Charter to a strong local there. I remember the courteous and sensible treat­ ment we received on this visit and the deep impression which was made upon me by all the persons I met. Chub Rich and Phil Morris were with me on this trip.

A t Beta gatherings in New York C ity it was a pleasure to see a Beta trio I knew for many years. It was a distinguished trio made up o f Knowlton Durham, Columbia ’01, Byrd W ise, Columbia ’07, and Eddie Eagan, Denver ’20.

I spoke at the dedication o f the new house at Johns Hopkins.

Senator John M . Butler, Hopkins ’23, also spoke. John Butler has been a loyal Beta. no census on the number o f chapter dogs who have met me.

T hey were large, small, gentle, vicious, clean, and smelly. H ad I kept all the hairs brushed off on the legs o f my trousers I could fill a large mattress. One dog at W and J was so large I could ride on it and one at Rutgers was so vicious it had to be held on a chain by its owner.

W ithout planning it so I addressed the St. Lawrence chapter in the Beta Temple almost to the hour forty-eight years after my Initiation. W ith me on the trip were Chub Rich, Owen Williams, and Ron Helman. Joe Romoda and Pete Van de W ater were General Secretary and D istrict Chief respectively.

W hen Jim Dana was a District Chief in N ew England we drove through a deluge to the Maine chapter. I had arrived in Boston early that morning. A t Maine I met President Arthur A. Hauck, who years later moved into an apartment under us in Washington.

W e became good friends. Jim and I went on to Bowdoin. An As­ sistant Dean there, who was a Beta, berated us as hypocrites on the racial question.

Prior to a visit to the Brown chapter I was invited to speak at the Noonday Chapel Service.

I have

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On the Sunday after the 75th Anniversary o f the Penn State chapter I preached in Schwab Chapel to an overflow congregation.

T he ushers were Betas and the service was arranged in honor of the anniversary o f our chapter. Charles E. McKillips drove me to Penn State and back. Chuck later became a District Chief.

Donald S. Dawson, Missouri ’30, was President Trum an’s Appointment Secretary. W hen I was Chairman o f T he Three H our Good Friday Observance through Don, who has always been an enthusiastic Beta, I received from President Trum an a beautiful letter expressing his interest in the Observance. A t that time I had a personal letter from the Governors o f each o f our forty-eight States.

Cliff G regg’s son, Frank, DePauw ’41, was married by me in a ceremony in our church. Frank was a Naval Officer. N ot long after his marriage his car went off the road in Florida. H e was killed and his wife, Mignon, gravely injured. I went with Cliff to Arlington National Cemetery and had the Committal Service. T h at was one o f the saddest hours o f my life. M y heart bled for Cliff.

One night standing in a railroad station 1 had in my left lapel the little gold Beta recognition button I always wear. N ear me was a Marine Sergeant whose sleeve was covered with chevrons, service stripes, and insigne. On his jacket he wore many service ribbons.

H e came over to me and pointing to my recognition button asked, “ W ould you tell me what this is?” I explained it to him. H e then said, “ I have seen a lot o f pretty pins, and I thought I had some nice ones, but that is the prettiest pin I ever saw.”

I addressed the Convention o f Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority at the Biltmore Hotel in N ew York City. It was their Panhellenic Day. H arriet Frische was present as a representive o f her sorority.

N ew York C ity temperature stood at one hundred.

I addressed the Pi Beta Phi Founders Day and at one time the Maryland Panhellenic meeting which was held in Baltimore.

A t one o f the Mackinac Conventions in the “ count down” Charles M . Moderwell, W ooster ’89, was the last man left stand­ ing. H e had been a Beta sixty-nine years. A t the close o f the session I went to him and asked, “ Charlie, why do you at your age, out of college so many years, your chapter closed since 1913, still come

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hundreds o f miles to a Beta Convention?” H e replied, “Because the dearest friendships I made were those which began in the old chapter house at W ooster College.”

W hen I was on the Special Chapters Commission I drove from Jersey City to Rutgers with Ripley W atson, Rutgers ’08. H e was a Beta son. On the w ay we stopped at Metuchen to see two R ut­ gers alumni, the Edgar brothers, who ran Edgar Clay Products.

T h irty years later in Washington, D. C., I met Donald D. Edgar, Williams ’2 8 .1 had known him when he was in the Williams chap­ ter, but I never knew until our Washington meeting that he was the son and nephew o f the two Edgar brothers I had met with Ripley W atson.

A t Syracuse University high on a hill stand three dormitories.

All three o f these are named for Beta Chancellors o f Syracuse University.

It was my privilege and honor to christen Ronald P. Helman in Gunnison Memorial Chapel at St. Lawrence University. There have been about fifteen Gunnisons in the St. Lawrence chapter.

Beautiful Gunnison Memorial Chapel was the first building erected during the term o f a very great Beta President at St. Lawrence, Richard Eddy Sykes.

I attended the 60th wedding anniversary o f Tom and M rs.

Spaulding at the home o f M r. and M rs. George M . Chandler, III. This anniversary was attended by M r. and M rs. Albert W .

Atwood, who recently had celebrated their 60th wedding anniver­ sary. I spent much time with Albert Atwood when he was com­ missioned by the N IC to write a factual account o f Greek-letter college fraternities. Tom Spaulding was one o f three Beta Spauld­ ings from Michigan. Oliver Spaulding was a General in the United States Army and Jack Spaulding was a D etroit lawyer. Jack at­ tended Beta Conventions annually. George Chandler’s sister married Oliver Spaulding. T he reception was given by George Chandler’s grandson, a Lawrence Beta. Present was his Beta father, Bruce, his mother, Helen, and Stanley and Vivienne H ornbeck.

A t the 50th Anniversary o f the Denver chapter at which I gave the Banquet Address Bob Shattuck managed the affair with notable success. Bob’s father was in the chapter at its beginning. Bob’s mother attended the banquet. M rs. W . S. IlifF was unable to be

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present. H er husband and sons were, o f course, Denver Betas. Bob married Alberta Iliff. A t the Anniversary a scholarship at Denver was established in my name. Clarence E. M cCartney, renowned Presbyterian minister, with whose brother A lbert I had a close friendship, was in the chapter in its early years.

A trip to Atlanta brought the rich experience o f being with Dis­ trict Chief Clyde Kennedy and Martha. And I must include their Beta son, Clyde, and their lovely daughter, Martha, who married a Beta.

I had many happy experiences with Tom Ralph. W e had a most interesting train trip from Asheville, N orth Carolina, to W ashing­ ton. Tom has shown devotion to the Penn State chapter and as a Fund Trustee has rendered an outstanding service to the General Fraternity.

One spring District Chief Pete Leech met me at the Cincinnati house where I was on a chapter visit. Pete owned a sports car.

One had to sit on the floor o f the car with his legs straight out.

Pete whizzed me to Danville, Kentucky. H e was wonderfully good company, but I had the feeling I had gone on a journey sitting on a scooter board with a windshield on the front o f it.

W hen I was minister in the First Parish in Malden, Massa­ chusetts, George M . Brown was a star high school athlete. George went to Ohio U. and graduated in ’31. H e was a star athlete there.

H e served with distinction as a D istrict Chief and Convention President. H e was one o f the leaders in the Cleveland Association.

He gave the Fraternity three loyal Beta sons—George, Don, and Rick. Don made a place for himself as a faithful D istrict Chief.

M rs. George M. Brown (Ruth) became President o f her sorority.

Stanley R. Church, W ashington State ’31, labored long in our vineyard. H e was a hard-working District Chief and Convention attendant. H e did much in the development o f the Fraternity in the Pacific Northwest. N o one was more deeply committed to the Fraternity than Stan. H e wrote a suggested pre-initiation cere­ mony.

W hen I received an Honorary Doctor o f Divinity Degree from Miami University the hood was placed over my head by the Chair­ man o f the Board o f Trustees o f Miami University, John B. W hitlock, Miami ’18. Later at the 1964 Convention at Miami I presented John his Fraternal Fifties Card.

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W hen I was a District Chief I made a visit to Dartmouth. 1 have never forgotten something which President Ernest Hopkins said. I thought it was uncalled for. A t least I have not remembered it with pleasure. I wanted to call on him. H e said, “A t Dartmouth we don’t like visiting firemen.”

I have had rich friendships over many years with one o f the greatest Phi Delts, George Banta, and with one o f the greatest Sigma Chis, L. G . Balfour. I have also had close connections with officers and executive secretaries o f countless fraternities and sororities. T he joy o f attending the annual N IC meetings was the opportunity to greet men who had been over the years devoted to leadership and development in the Greek-letter fraternity world.

A fter a trip to W and L and Virginia with District Chief Frank Gierhart on reaching home Frank discovered he had left all his keys in his room in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In Columbus, Ohio, I christened Chuck K ent’s daughter, Louise. Chuck served as a District Chief when I was General Secretary. H e had a vast knowledge o f the Fraternity. T he Fra­ ternity in turn was a vital part o f his life.

W hile I had the Williams chapter in my District tragedies took the lives o f four outstanding young men. One went down while on a Williams College Expedition when the Vestris sank, one was hit and killed by an automobile on Beacon Street, Boston, one on his way home for the holidays was in a car which was hit by a train, one was electrocuted outside his dorm while putting up a radio aerial.

In many chapter rooms I saw Guidons bearing chapter letters.

I never found an undergraduate who could tell me what they rep­ resented. It was George Chandler who designed the chapter Guidons to be carried at the head o f each chapter delegation in the great march at the Centennial at Miami in 1939.

One o f the wittiest Chiefs I have known was George Shields. A trip with him was an unforgettable experience. In 1966 at the Bigwin Convention he was one o f the best Convention Presidents I have seen.

A. J .’s Convention addresses at ten Conventions on great Betas were a monumental contribution to the Fraternity. W e should be thankful they were published in his book The Great Ones.

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Fred Lukens, Idaho ’08, served as Lieutenant Governor of Idaho. W hen he lived in W ashington I had a delightful association with him and his two Idaho Beta sons, Fred and John. In our church Fred’s daughter, Helen, was united in marriage by me. I christened her children. I attended the funeral o f Fred, Sr. All o f the Lukens were real Betas.

T he Board of Trustees asked Irv W ensink and me to visit W il­ liam and M ary where we were told there was a group which was anxious to become a Beta chapter. Irv and I made the trip. T o my astonishment when we met with the group they told us they had negotiated with five other fraternities. In no uncertain terms I made it clear that we wanted only those groups which wanted to become Betas and nothing else. W e were not in the market for chapters and we insisted any action be unilateral.

Strat Morton, Washington (St. Louis) ’10, is one o f the great Betas o f all time. M y friendship with him goes back to my college days. Strat has attended nearly forty Beta Conventions. H e served ably as a District Chief and on the Board o f Trustees. W hen he was stricken ill on a visit to W ashington I visited him in the hospital several times. In St. Louis I have seen the wonderful Children’s Museum, which he started, and his fabulous library and various collections. One day he told me, to my surprise, that he had grown up in Galesburg, Illinois, and from boyhood had known Frank Sisson. This was long before Strat knew he would become a Beta at Washington (St. Louis).

During the Korean conflict I would go to W alter Reed Hospital and call on wounded Betas who were there. Alas, it became my sad duty to go and call on Beta wounded brought back from V iet Nam. Robert O. McDowell and Marilyn Thomsen McDowell were married by me in our church. T hey named their son, Andrew Seth. T he Andrew was for M arilyn’s late uncle, Senator Andrew Schoeppel o f Kansas. T he Seth was for me. Bob was Chapter President at Kansas State. I met him for the first time at the Poland Springs Convention in 1957. Bob has always been devoted to the Fraternity.

A t Kansas I saw a room in the chapter house which I have not forgotten. It was on the first floor and had been set aside as a room

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in which quiet was maintained. H ere one could read. In this room were foreign newspapers and magazines for which the chapter had subscribed. A picture loaned by a museum or art center was hung in the room for a month at a time. There was also a library of classical high-fi recordings.

Once in Cleveland I addressed more than four hundred and fifty Betas at an Alumni Banquet. N o city ever had a greater Beta alumni group than did Cleveland. One could not name all these outstanding men and Betas, but I venture to mention a few: A1 May, George Roudebush, Doc Briggs, Karl Marquis, Harold Ammerman, Snitch Snider, Ray Irvin, George Brown, H arvey Goss. These Betas loved to be together. Ray Irvin, although his famous W ooster chapter had been closed for many years, was one o f the most dedicated Betas one could ever meet. H e gave dynamic balance to the famous Cleveland Association.

W hen the new house at DePauw was dedicated I gave the address at the banquet which was served in the house. T he Betas have a magnificent home at DePauw. It can house over seventy men. DePauw has been over the years one o f our finest chapters and has produced a long list o f outstanding Betas. Leading this list one thinks o f Jim Gavin and G. H erbert Smith.

On a visit to the local at Auburn I met Bill Hahn. H e helped with this local and when he moved to Philadelphia he became an effective Chief in that area. Bill Hahn, a Lehigh Beta, added some­ thing most attractive to any Beta gathering he attended.

One night when I was in New York C ity on Beta business Sherwood Bonney, who was one o f my District Chiefs, later General Treasurer and President, took me to dinner. It was one of the pleasantest Beta visits I ever had. W hen I spoke at the Kappa Alpha Theta Convention at Banff, Jean Bonney, daughter of Sherwood and H arriet Bonney, was one o f the outstanding girls at the Convention.

Bob Magee, Northwestern ’55, became a Presbyterian minister.

I knew him when he was an undergraduate. Once when I was speaking at an Alumni Banquet in Pittsburgh Bob came to see me.

H e discussed entering the ministry. I gave him all the advice I could. I have felt grateful that I could see Bob graduate from Union Theological Seminary in New York C ity and become an ordained minister. Bob served one year as Acting Chief o f District III.

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I w i s h I had kept a record o f Betas who have attended services of worship in our church. Sunday after Sunday they have been pres­ ent. T he number would run into the hundreds. T hey have come from all over the country and from all chapters. I must confess that these Beta alumni and undergraduates coming to worship in the church I served have been a major incentive in my ministry.

I will not forget being entertained by Cooper and Marge W illits in their beautiful home in Pennsylvania. It was a restful visit we had together before Cooper and I went on to attend the funeral o f Billie Lane. I watched the three W illits children grow up. Billie Lane gave me the Oxford Book o f G reek Verse. He signed his name and then “Alpha” on the flyleaf.

There was no more irascible person than D istrict Chief Charles B. Davis, Michigan ’96. Everyone called him “Stubby.” H e lived in the Fraternity, but at Convention he could raise more trouble over some inconsequential thing than almost anyone I knew. Once at breakfast he sent the toast back five times because it didn’t suit his taste. O me, O my!

Stan Kresge, Michigan ’22, drove me from D etroit to Dearborn Village for luncheon and then to see the new Michigan house.

Stan was proud o f the new Lambda home. H e gave very generously to its construction and furnishings.

I spoke at the Convention Banquet o f Delta Sigma Pi Fra­ ternity at Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania. I enjoyed this experience as it afforded the opportunity o f meeting many outstanding men.

Gene Smerchek and Layton Perry, Kansas State ’67, drove twenty hours straight to worship in our church at an Easter Ser­ vice.

W hen Phil M orris was a District Chief he arranged for me to have a tour o f the Inland Steel Plant in East Chicago. I was pre­ sented with a white steel helmet with my name lettered on it in black. I sent the helmet to Tom and Doug Fey who enjoyed it for a long time.

W ayne Albers, his wife, and two boys spent an afternoon in our home when W ayne was a District Chief.

A t the N IC Meetings in N ew York C ity shortly after the death o f President Kennedy I conducted at the Banquet a Memorial Service for him. Chief Justice Earl W arren had requested that such a service be arranged as Justice Tom Clark was the speaker.

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In a certain chapter house they took the girlie pictures off the walls before my visit. It was unnecessary!

Charles Gutelius told me several times he was sure he would see Shep in the next life.

I travelled so much I came to know many dining car stewards and waiters. There was a brakeman on the B & O with whom I must have made twenty or thirty runs. Once on the Santa Fe the dining car got on fire just after we had left it. Three times trains on which I was travelling hit automobiles at crossings.

I will always remember meeting District Chief Jack McClung on T he Lark. W e had a most delightful visit as we journeyed from San Francisco to Glenwood.

In Auburn, Alabama Fred Brower and I stayed several times in a hotel where the floor in my room was so slanted I had to hold myself in bed. In Dallas Chief M ark M yers provided me with a whole apartment. Texans do things big!

I married H . Blakeley Harvey, Jr., Amherst ’44, in our Side Chapel.

A t the Oregon State chapter my picture was taken with the basketball star, M el Counts. Mel was over seven feet tall. H e was a member o f the chapter.

Long association with Ed and Ferol Stofft brought me much pleasure. Ed, who was o f the class o f ’20 at Knox, served with dis­ tinction as General Treasurer during part o f my time as General Secretary. Ed was a Beta all the way and added stature to the Knox chapter and Beta T heta Pi. A rt W ickenden and I were Chiefs together. Few men in the history o f our Fraternity have had a larger spiritual influence on our membership than did A rt Wickenden. Once when we were staying in Oxford A rt and Ethel entertained us for breakfast in their lovely Oxford home.

I was the first person to sleep in the guest room made possible by the addition to the Administrative Building. I felt a little guilty as generous Fred Brower had provided for the guest bedroom one pillow case and one set o f sheets.

W hen Ed Stollenwerck was Chief in District XX he met me in Kansas City. M y train was late. W e drove through an almost blinding rain to visit the Kansas chapter. W e arrived near mid­

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night. T he chapter officers got all who had gone to bed up and a meeting was called. I was asked to give a Beta address. I did my best, but as I looked into the faces staring at me I knew there lurked in many minds the question, “H ow can we kill the General Secretary?”

Gene Nickerson and Jim W achs were both fine Chiefs. On a trip through Kentucky Jim took me to a fascinating place for luncheon. T hat night we attended a banquet at Centre College at which I gave the address.

W hen Bob McConaughey was a D istrict Chief we visited Rut­ gers at noon and went on for dinner at Stevens. I was to spend the night at Bob’s home. On the w ay the top o f his convertible blew off on one o f the boulevards. Bob added much to his District and was a real w orker in N ew York C ity Beta affairs.

A t Board meetings we usually spent a full day or two on the recommendations we would make for succession on the Board.

W e knew that our recommendations must go to the Committee on Nomination o f General Officers.

W hen the Board was meeting at the Cosmos Club in W ashing­ ton, D. C., all members were called Doctor by the help—Dr. Greiner—Dr. Johnson—Dr. M orris.

In Minneapolis Pete Greiner took me to breakfast in a place where they were unloading the liquor and beer shipment for the week. It was all rolled past our table. T he bar did not open until noon.

Edward A. Adams, Brown ’12, was an All-American end at Brown. W e served together as Chiefs. H e was Aimee Semple M cPherson’s lawyer. Once when I was in Los Angeles, Ed, who was a close friend o f mine, was eager for me to meet the noted Evangelist. T he meeting was arranged. T he night before it took place we were having dinner at Ed’s home in Hollywood. A phone call came telling Ed o f the mysterious disappearance o f Aimee Semple McPherson. I, therefore, never met this unusual person, but I remember the interesting things Ed Adams told me about her.

Ed and I kept in close touch. He became ill and I am sorry to say that at the end o f his life, his memory completely gone, he died in an institution. His loyalty to the Fraternity was life-long.

Some o f my most memorable hours in m y years o f travel were

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in the early morning. I f I were on a train and the diner opened at 6:30 a .m ., I would be one o f the first to sit down. M any times we would ride through pitch darkness. Hundreds o f times I have seen dawn break and the sun rise. W e would be speeding across Illi­ nois, Indiana, Ohio, Montana, Nebraska, Maryland, or Virginia.

T o paraphrase St. Paul, “These were the great hours o f a man’s life.” T hey were hours o f thought and awe and I am grateful I had so many o f them. W henever I stayed in hotel, motel, or club, I would get up at 5 a .m . and be out by 6 a .m . for my walk. W hen­ ever there was a church open, and it made no difference to me what kind o f church it was, I would go in for a short time. I will always believe that I found much strength in these churches for the day, the trip, the meetings, and the speaking ahead.

M rs. Lawrence Apgar, who was one o f the first persons to work in our Administrative office, was the wife o f Larry Apgar, who was organist at Harvard Memorial Church the first summer I was Chaplain o f the Summer School.

M y memory o f Cliff Gregg at Board meetings is that he sat in silence for long periods, but when he spoke he always offered us the profound and right answer.

Harold Ammerman, W estern Reserve ’17, was one o f the best Beta Song Leaders I ever heard. Ammy attended many Conven­ tions and was a loyal and active Beta in the Cleveland group.

Once when the Board o f Trustees was meeting in Washington, D. C., we had luncheon in the Capitol with Beta members o f Con­ gress. Later a group picture was taken on the steps o f the Capitol.

A ride I will never forget was with District Chief Tom Seifert from Athens, Ohio, to Springfield, Ohio. Tom had a sports car with four or five gear shifts. I felt as though I were riding six inches off the road. W hen it came to passing cars Tom would “give it the gun” and we never missed. After dinner at the W ittenberg chapter I went on to Oxford with Ron Helman and let Spig Fawcett have the honor and joy of riding to Oxford with Tom in his car.

On the way to the 1965 Convention at Mackinac Island I stayed overnight in a motel in Lansing, Illinois. A t midnight a tornado hit the area. It tore off roofs and almost wrecked the motel. The fol­ lowing morning Phil and Evelyn M orris and I started in their car for the Convention. Fifty miles from Mackinac C ity we went

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through as horrible a storm as I have witnessed. On our return from the Convention Chub Rich was with us. A fter luncheon we went through three storms on our way to Chicago. I thought each one o f these storms would be the last we would live to see.

One evening as I got off the train at Back Bay, Boston, H arry Easton was on the platform to meet me. H e had a broad smile and was waving a newspaper. As he came up to me he said, “You have an inheritance.” Unbeknown to me a former Malden parishioner had remembered us in her W ill. H arry had just read about it, and, of course, had delight in telling me about it. M any times after that experience I alighted from a train at Back Bay. H arry was always there to meet me. M y first question to him was, “Have I received an inheritance?” H e never again gave me an affirmative answer after the first joyous announcement.

T he night I spoke at Miami G reek W eek I had an experience which, thank goodness, I have had only two or three times in my life. As I stood on the stage in a huge auditorium all lights were turned out except the powerful spotlights above me which flooded brilliant light around me. I never saw the face o f one person in the audience throughout my address. I was talking but to no one so far as seeing anyone was concerned.

M y life is full o f memories o f long hours o f waiting in railroad stations all over the country. As time went on and flying became more the mode o f travel these railroad stations became even more dismal, dirty, poorly lighted, and often filled with people who evoked my pity. I saw scenes o f greeting, parting, joy, heart­ break, fear, loneliness, often interlaced with the ragged wanderers who drifted in from the streets for a few moments o f warmth or a place briefly to sit down until they were driven out by the station police. W hat scenes o f agony and disarrayed humanity I beheld!

W hen we arrived in Los Angeles for the 1953 Pasadena Conven­ tion, Everett Stancliff had a Mexican band in costumes with senoritas meet us as we alighted from the train. Stan insisted that at the Convention we have a Fiesta. Ralph Fey, as Administrative Secre­ tary, and I had many conversations about the wisdom o f holding such an evening but gave in. T he Fiesta was held around the swim­ ming pool. After a hot day it turned very cold and we suffered agony. Stan had an endless program and even produced Governor

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Goodwin Knight. I had been seated next to the movie star, Joan Leslie. T hat in itself was enough for me to handle, but as one who detests wearing a costume of any kind I had been draped in a Mexican serape and had on my head a huge Mexican sombrero.

Miraculously no one got pneumonia. I worried about A. J. and H artw ell Priest as they were blue with cold.

Jack Ryan attended fifty Beta Conventions. I was pleased to have a part in getting the silver bowl which we gave Jack. It was a Paul Revere model. I wrote the words of appreciation which are engraved on it. As the Convention gave Jack a standing ovation he was visibly touched. After Jack’s death M rs. Ryan gave the bowl to the General Fraternity. It stands in the Administration Building in Oxford.

I will never forget calling on Charlie Gutelius in his home in Indianapolis. It was a spacious house. Charlie was a collector of china, crystal, paintings, and Oriental rugs. I do not exaggerate when I say there were dozens o f sets o f costly china, hundreds o f pieces o f crystal, hardly an inch o f wall space not covered by a painting, and so many Oriental rugs they were piled one upon another. Charlie’s sister, Gertrude, always kept in touch with us after Charlie’s death. She once came on to W ashington and attended a service in our church.

A m a n who had been a boy when I was minister o f the First Parish in Malden and had grown up in our church became Presi­ dent of a well-known publishing company. H e was a graduate of Harvard and at an early age an impressive personality. H e once wired me and asked me to meet him in his club in Boston for luncheon. I accepted the invitation. H e wanted to discuss with me my writing a book which his company would publish. I told him I didn’t think I could write, but beyond that I was General Secretary o f my Fraternity which demanded all the time outside of my church work which I could give it. W ith shock he said, “ Don’t tell me you belong to anything as undemocratic as a college fra­ ternity!” I did not reply as I looked out the window across Boston Common from one o f the most exclusive clubs in a city long known for “ the exclusive.”

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W hen the Carnegie house was dedicated President W arner of the Institute was present and spoke with appreciation o f our Fraternity. M any Beta alumni, including A1 M ay and Max Stephenson, were there. I gave the address o f Dedication. Over many years I had a pleasant association with President W arner, who was a delightful gentleman.

Karl Fischer loved the Fraternity as much as any man who lived.

H e attended with regularity our Conventions. H e wrote the his­ tory o f his Indiana chapter and helped in the preparation o f his­ tories o f other chapters. Karl wrote and published a book on the Mystics. H e contributed to The Magazine and was Assistant H is­ torian. Karl lived alone and his life was lonely. H e expected to be married. T he young woman came to see me in Washington. They both wished to be married in our church. Karl died before that happened. I remember him with deep pathos. I appreciated him and for him had genuine sorrow. Meid Compton can never receive his reward in full for his friendship and helpfulness where Karl was concerned. One o f the strangest things was that whenever Karl was at home in his apartment he would place outside the front door a small Confederate flag. This was signal to Meid, who had driven over to pick him up, that he would be out in a few minutes. The day after Karl arrived home from a Beta Convention he would go to a travel agent and order his tickets to the next Convention.

On the California Zephyr 1 sat down for dinner at a table with an elderly peasant-type Italian woman. She spoke little English.

W ith her was her son. H e was a powerful Italian boy. H e had no necktie and reminded me much o f a class o f Italian I had known when I grew up in N ew York City. This fellow was taking his mother to see a son who lived in California. I tried to hold a con­ versation. N ot more than ten sentences were exchanged. M other and son finished their meal and left the table. Before they did this powerful fellow said to me, “Thanks for talking to us.” O f life I always think the little things hold the deepest m ystery and one word—one moment—may be more than a library or an eternity.

I am thankful that Paul Newey, Northwestern ’22, served our Fraternity as a District Chief in the Atlanta area. W e had some real problems on our hands when Paul took over as Chief. H e did

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not hold office very long, but in the time that he did he was so effective he straightened out the District. Paul was one o f the out­ standing Betas I have known.

H arold H ook as a Chief exerted a positive influence in his Dis­ trict and at Conventions. T he four Hook brothers o f Missouri have been a credit to our Fraternity. I used to see one of H al’s brothers in Pittsburgh. O n a train speeding through Canada I met H al’s mother-in-law. W e had a pleasant visit. Hal H ook became the youngest President of a Life Insurance Company. I remember that Earl Sneed, when he was named Dean o f the Law School at O kla­ homa, was the youngest Law Dean in our country.

H al Buckingham was the son o f a Methodist minister. W hile his father had a pastorate in Oneonta, New York, Hal met the girl who became his wife. She was a graduate o f M ount Holyoke.

H al and I had interesting talks about churches in N ew York State.

Hal brought to his work as a District Chief some o f the wonderful qualities he must have seen in his home and parents.

I will never forget a late winter day I spent at the Purdue house.

T he heating system had broken down. There was no heat. I have been cold, but never much colder.

It seems to me that in chapter houses across the country I have looked at as many potato chips and into as many jars of peanut butter as any man since the appearance o f Adam.

W hen Bill Gossett, Utah ’25, was General Counsel for the Ford M otor Company, he entertained me for luncheon at the Ford plant near Detroit. It was a pleasant experience and an opportunity for interesting conversation.

I wish I had kept a record of the thousands of letters I wrote and answered as General Secretary and President. I would not have believed so many letters could have come to the General Secretary as actually happened during the decade I held that office. I made it a rule to answer every letter I received.

On a trip to Nebraska the chapter made reservations for me at the Cornhusker Hotel. I was provided with a king-size bed. I really didn’t need that much room for sleeping.

T he first visit I made as General Secretary was with Dick Steele to Wesleyan. A t that time V ic Butterfield, Cornell ’27, was President o f W esleyan. Dick and I went to call on Vic. His little

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girl had just been stricken with polio. I ’m glad to say she recovered well. It would be impossible to chronicle the service Dick Steele rendered his Alma M ater and W esleyan chapter.

T he 50th Anniversary at Kansas State brought together a large number o f alumni. I spoke at the banquet. It was a memorable evening. Rick Harman, who was District Chief, Bob McDowell, Gene Smerchek, and many others were present. T h at night I was put up in a motel which had been built next to a former poorhouse.

In the morning I had to waken some o f the brothers who were staying in this motel. T he only way I finally got Bob McDowell up was by telling him that lazy habits would land him in the poorhouse. Gene Smerchek and I went to early church. W e then at­ tended an Alumni Breakfast at the Beta house. From there Gene, Bob, and I drove to Topeka where we had luncheon in a M yron Greene Cafeteria which is owned and run by Rick Harm an’s family. W e stopped at former Governor A lf Landon’s home and then went on to the Kansas chapter. T h at evening I took Gene Smerchek, Bob and M arilyn McDowell to dinner in Kansas City.

W e did not eat until late. O ur meal was an hour in being served.

Just as the waitress brought it she turned the tray upside down and everything went on the floor. W e waited until salads could be brought. I took the sleeper late that night. About 4 a .m . the train hit something. M y head banged the partition. I thought my neck was broken, but nothing serious happened.

Lehigh University each year has a Pledge Banquet sponsored by the University. T he President and Deans attend. All pledges of every fraternity on the campus and their Pledge Trainers are re­ quired to be present. One year I was invited to give the address.

It was an interesting experience.

Many Beta trips started from the home o f Chub and Mildred Rich at Ogden Dunes, Indiana. M any happy days and nights were spent by us in this beautiful home right on the lake front.

Part o f the time Fred Brower was Administrative Secretary he was also Police Commissioner for Oxford, Ohio. It was an awe­ some experience for one like myself to ride through Oxford or walk its streets with this important official!

Chalmers Davidson was an excellent Chief and a superb host in his Davidson, N orth Carolina, home.

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T he Board o f Trustees attended several banquets with the Washington, D. C. Alumni Association. T he Board also at­ tended banquets in St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Toledo, Pittsburgh, and other cities. These were times o f real fellowship with hundreds o f local Betas.

N o count has been kept by me o f the Son of the Stars and Banquet Menus I have autographed. It was never a burden, but an honor when I was asked to sign my name.

M any Board meetings were held in the Cosmos Club, W ashing­ ton, D. C. T he room in which we met was on the third floor across from the billiard room. After the evening sessions our billiard ex­ perts on the Board would play until the early hours of the morning.

I heard o f the prowess o f Brothers Fey, Romoda, and Fawcett.

On four or five occasions on the Sunday after Board meetings in Washington, D. C., the Board and local alumni attended the Sun­ day service in our church. There usually followed a coffee hour or luncheon. These services and the gatherings which followed were occasions o f deep feeling and times when one sensed Beta spirit and comradeship.

A t W ittenberg Ron Helman, Tom Seifert, Andy Nicholoff, Spig Fawcett, and I were entertained by the chapter and alumni at a dinner. T he Chapter President introduced Spig as “ W ally Faw cett.” Good old W ally! As if “Spigot” and “Red” aren’t nicknames enough!

Once after an evening at the home o f the Feys in Oxford, Ohio the Wickendens said they would drive us to Simpson House where we were staying. A rt got behind the wheel, next to him sat M rs.

Wickenden, I made the third person on the front seat. There were three persons in the rear seat. Suddenly we shot backward out of the driveway. A rt stopped the car. H e shifted gears, then we shot up the driveway. W e stopped. Again, we shot backward, and then forward, and then backward. W h at was the matter! Ethel W icken­ den had had her foot on the accelerator. It was quite a ride!

Paul Lockwood, Columbia ’23, who was Thomas Dewey’s right-hand man, and I attended grammar school and high school together.

Perhaps the most moving Beta experience I had was the night service at the Campanile marking the 125th Anniversary o f the

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founding o f Beta Theta Pi at Miami University. A t the conclusion of the service A. J. and I walked across the campus under brilliant starlight. W e were both quite overcome. A. J. said to me, “T hat service had style.” H ow true! For me Beta T heta Pi has always had style.

Long days and nights on trains are still vivid in my memory. I did much work, read volumes, and looked for hours at the land­ scape o f the most beautiful country on earth. Often at night I awoke—away from home and alone. Again and again I’d ask my­ self, “W h y do I do this?” But I went on doing it. Once I was away for thirteen nights. I have no full explanation o f what compelled me. T he closest I can come to explaining it to m yself is that beyond my home and church there was a land I was traversing in Beta’s Broad Domain.

I f trains at times were lonely, so were clubs, motels, and rooms.

Often in some o f the clubs you were as though you were in a deserted museum. I would read in their libraries and write in their writing rooms. M any nights I was lonesome, but there was always morning. Morning meant the start of another trip with kind Chiefs, who would take me to chapters where I would meet more o f the Beta boys.

I have often thought o f doing a story on “Brothers W ho Are Betas”—I can only mention a few: Gregg, W eber, Hawkins, Zimmerman, Hook, Rich, Fey, Brower, Bennett, Folsom, Priest, Hyland, M orris, Brooks, Baily, Gavin, Easton, Martin, Compton, Knost, Brown, Greiner.

On a visit to the Lawrence chapter H al Brown and I were en­ tertained in the beautiful home o f Elmer and M arie Jennings in Appleton, Wisconsin. Jenks played a large role in our Fraternity in the forties and fifties and made a vital contribution.

Once at Yale when I was District Chief I saw a shabby and in­ excusably meaningless presentation o f the Ritual. In a chapter meeting I was very blunt in my criticism o f the chapter for its indifference when it came to initiating new members. Norman Buck, Yale ’13, who was on the Yale faculty, wrote General Secretary Bing Baily that I should be fired at once. Bing’s answer to Norman Buck was a masterpiece o f upholding the ideals o f the Fraternity and a Chief who insisted this not be forgotten.

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On trips to Denver I had the good company o f LeRoy J. Marx, Jr. A t the 50th Anniversary o f the Utah chapter, Roy, as District Chief, was present. T he undergraduates took Roy and me on several tours. W e went to the Mormon Tabernacle, museums, the University, and nearby historic sites. Roy was a wonderful friend and companion.

I served as President o f the Boston and Washington, D. C., Alumni Associations. During my term as President in Washington W orld W ar II was being fought. Hundreds o f Betas were in W ashington or passing through the city. It was an exciting period.

M y associations with Bob Howard, when he was Editor, were among my most pleasant Beta experiences. Bob was understanding, level-headed, courageous, and would come up with the right answer. I think that being Editor of The Beta Theta Pi Magazine is one o f the hardest jobs in the Fraternity. It is often, alas, a thank­ less job.

I was pleased at the University of Missouri to have the Presi­ dent say to me, “ If all fraternities on this campus were like yours, we would have a model situation.” On two or three occasions at Georgia Tech, Dean George Griffin told me that our chapter held the record for outstanding performance and usefulness. I cite these as two cases but all over the country for sixteen years Presidents and Deans spoke in highest terms of our General Fraternity and of many, many o f our chapters.

Among the letters I have received none have been kinder than those from Russ and Jo Ragan. Both Russ and Jo have been de­ voted to the Fraternity. Russ was a District Chief and Convention President. H e has been a servant o f W abash College and our chap­ ter. There is a Beta son to carry on the Ragan Beta line.

A t Williamsburg, Virginia, I had an unforgettable experience with Shep. For many years he had been a history professor and he was an authority on American H istory. As we walked through W illiamsburg he took me by the arm and led me to a place near the old Parish Church. H e said, “ I want you to stand on this spot. It was here Sir Alexander Spottswood stood when he addressed a little band o f men before they started W estw ard to cross the Alleghenies and enter into the broadlands o f what would become Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.” It has meant much to me that Shep

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related to me this interesting bit o f American history. Again and again I have thought o f “ crossing the Alleghenies into some broadland o f opportunity which lay beyond.”

T he N IC invited me to speak at an afternoon session. It was scheduled as an address for all to attend. I waited three hours be­ yond the scheduled time. One can imagine how much or little one would feel like speaking under these circumstances. However, a series o f events caused the delay. Another time I was to speak in a well-known hotel in a major city to an interfraternity gathering.

I arrived and no one could find where the meeting was to be held.

W e were finally put in a Ballroom and the meeting got underway.

T he Presiding Officer, who was a fine gentleman, introduced me by saying he didn’t know what the session was about and he didn’t know whether I knew what I was to speak about.

This brings to mind a trip Fred Brower and I made to French Lick one spring to make final arrangements for our Convention there in August. Fred had laid all the ground w ork by correspon­ dence and telephone. Upon our arrival we learned there had been a change in personnel and no one knew anything about our coming convention. W e worked hard for twenty-four hours and got much accomplished. T he hotel was entertaining the State Convention of a political party. W e had another view o f a segment o f American political life.

M y first trip to Granville, Ohio, was made with Chuck Kent, who was District Chief. W e went directly to the cemetery and stood for a short time at Shep’s grave. In the evening I addressed a dinner in the chapter house. T he portrait o f Shep in the Denison house is one I wish all Betas could see.

T he office o f Scholarship Commissioner was to be filled. I told the Board about Dean Joseph J. Romoda at St. Lawrence. T he Board asked me to invite him to fill the office. I got in touch with Joe, but frankly never thought he would accept. T o our great de­ light he did. Joe as Scholarship Commissioner did much for the Fraternity. During his three years on the Board he contributed clear and deep thinking. H e brought a spirit o f gentleness and understanding. W hen he became General Secretary the Fraternity was again fortunate. W e had so many experiences together they

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cannot be related. One which is vivid to me is our trip to the 1953 Pasadena Convention. Joe and I shared a room on the train. H e slept in the upper, which in itself showed he was a man o f gener­ osity. O ur Fraternity was blest to have the services o f a man as thoughtful and unselfish as Joe. His death in December 1966 was one o f the greatest losses our Fraternity and I personally have suffered. There is no tribute too high which I can pay this man of dedication, loyalty, honor, selflessness, and brotherly spirit.

N ewton C. W ing, Amherst ’06, never missed a Beta gathering in Washington, D. C., or at Amherst if he could make it. N ew t overflowed with w it and humor. Once when Fred Brower and I stepped into the Pitts H otel in Auburn, Alabama, there was a long distance call for me saying N ew t had died. H e had told M rs. W ing before his death that he wanted me to officiate at his funeral. If there are Beta councils in Heaven, N ew t is there adding a hearty laugh.

A t the Glenwood Springs Convention we had a Chuck W agon dinner. This was one o f the messiest meals I remember. Everyone seemed to be smeared with gravy and plenty of clothes were ready to be sent to the cleaner’s.

A t the Poland Springs Convention in 1957 the hotel arranged a lobster luncheon out in a grove of trees. I was surprised at the number o f persons who had never seen a whole boiled lobster. I spent my time opening lobsters for the uninitiated. I was cutting my fingers on the shells. For a couple o f weeks afterwards my fingers were so badly cut I could barely use them. One afternoon o f the Convention we had a pilgrimage to the Bowdoin house. A large number from the Convention made the trip and we were cordially received by alumni and undergraduates. George Casey, our out­ standing Athletic Editor, was there in his old chapter house. M y friendship with George was rich and delightful. Years later at a T heta Convention I met his daughter, who was President and Delegate from her chapter at Pennsylvania. Bowdoin has produced many strong and outstanding Betas. I think o f former District Chief Adriel U. Bird and former District Chief Larry Flint. T w o men who kept this chapter great were Bill Johnson, Bowdoin ’06, and “Judge” Linnell, Bowdoin ’07.

On a trip through Kansas, Gene Smerchek had obtained permis­

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sion for me to visit the Governor’s Mansion. Bob M cDowell was with us. In the Library o f the Mansion near the ceiling are carved emblems which relate to the career o f the builder and first owner of the Mansion. Among the emblems is the crest o f W estm inster College and the Coat o f Arms o f Beta T heta Pi. T he builder and first owner was a W estm inster Beta.

The 125th Anniversary was held at W estern Reserve on a Saturday and Sunday in October 1966. Ron Helman and I were invited to attend the Homecoming Alumni Luncheon. I was in­ troduced as “the immediate past President o f Beta alumni.” A t another event that week-end I was called on for an Invocation and was introduced as “the National Chaplain.” I spoke at the Banquet and some o f those present were: A1 and Betty M ay, Harold and M rs. Ammerman, W arner and M rs. Seely, D istrict Chief Don Brown and Nancy, District Chief George Applin, Administrative Secretary Ron Helman and his wife, Lou. T he following morning I conducted a Chapel Service and preached in the Amasa Stone Chapel on the W estern Reserve campus. A fter the service there was a migration to Hudson, Ohio, where the chapter was founded a century and a quarter earlier.

John Dolibois made a large contribution to the Fraternity as a District Chief. H e rendered endless service to the Alpha chapter.

One o f the very fine Beta addresses I have heard was given by John on a Thursday evening at a Beta Convention. Four speakers told what Beta Theta Pi had meant to them. John was one of the speakers. There are two Beta Dolibois sons. Both are o f the Alpha chapter.

One o f the highest privileges I have enjoyed was working with Ralph Fey, Fred Brower, and Ron Helman. Through this associa­ tion I acquired three sets o f children. W hen Tom and Doug Fey were small we had wonderful times together. I was able to send them some o f the interesting things which had been given me in Washington. I had quite a correspondence with Betsy, Becky, and Susie Brower. W ith the coming o f the Helmans their children, Betsy, Randy, and Roger, became close and dear to me. A high­ light o f my Beta experience has been my interest in and deep affection for the children and grandchildren o f our Chiefs and General Officers.

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There was a sleeper which put me into the old Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Station in Pittsburgh at 6:30 a .m . I don’t know how many times I made the trip, but Ed Power would always be there when I came into the station. H e never varied in his greeting to me, “ You handsome dog.” I would reply, “ You handsome dog.”

O ver the years in personal greeting on the telephone, or by mail, this would be our salutation. Finally, Ed designated me as #1 and himself as #2. As Chuck McKillips came into active Beta work he learned o f this mystical greeting between Ed and myself. Chuck became so enamored with our titles that we made him #3. Chuck and I would have luncheon together every week. H e would always phone me, “Hello #1, this is #3 calling.” So it went on to the point where we almost gave up our first names and entered the number game o f #1 and #3.

W hen M erle Smith was a District Chief it was a sight to see him at a General Convention. H e would rally the undergraduates.

M erle had a beautiful singing voice and could play the piano su­ perbly. H e would sit down and play Beta songs and everyone would begin to sing. It was a thrilling experience. T he music still rings through my head. Once I was in Virginia with Merle. H e suggested we hire a car and go from Williamsburg to Yorktown and Jamestown. On the trip he bought a half a dozen Smithfield hams to be shipped to friends. After a long day o f riding and visit­ ing historical spots M erle said to me, “Tidewater, Virginia, was a place where man made living a fine art.” M any times I have spoken in sermons and speeches about our trying to reach a state in our living which might be called “a fine art.”

W hen Carl G rip was a District Chief I did not have as much time with him as was my desire. Once when we were driving to­ gether he made a profound statement which I have thought of again and again. Carl said, “Anything to endure, be it religion or education, must have a hard core o f something persons believe and belief must not be destroyed or lost.” All through life I have witnessed what I think Carl had in mind, for I have seen persons, organizations, churches, try to endure when they believed in nothing which would have been a reason for their having the right to a future existence.

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at St. Lawrence. H e made a major contribution and had much to do with bringing outstanding students to the St. Lawrence campus.

Moreau was a fine District Chief. I remember an arrival we made one evening to the Union chapter house. There wasn’t a man in the house. Everyone was at a basketball game, but later in the evening we had a splendid chapter meeting. T h at night I stayed in the Van Curler Hotel. T he plumbing in the bathroom ran all night. I got up at 5 a .m . and went to the station. Just as I arrived I caught one of the crack western sleepers running into N ew York. I boarded the train with relief and had breakfast as we sped down the Hudson River. W ith Moreau I made one of the best trips I ever made. He drove me from W esleyan to Amherst. On our way to Dartmouth we stopped at Northfield where his daughter, Chris, was a student.

A t Dartmouth I saw M oreau’s great love for his Alma M ater and chapter. On our return we stopped at Deerfield Academy and saw Dr. Frank L. Boyden. W e stopped at Sheffield Prep where Moreau had been a student. W e went on to Yale. M oreau then drove me to Penn Station, N ew York. I have always felt that Moreau did an excellent job the two years he was General Secretary.

I knew Edward J. Noble, Syracuse ’05, for many years. I had known his parents in their later years. T hey lived in Gouverneur, N ew York, where I had many friends. Ed was Chairman o f the Board o f Trustees for some o f the time that I was on the Board of Trustees o f St. Lawrence University. During W orld W ar II Ed was an Assistant Secretary o f Commerce and was in Washington a great deal. H e was an unusually busy man and extremely reticent.

For some reason he showed a warm friendship toward me and I know how much it meant to Ed to be a member o f our Fraternity.

H e would send me occasionally boxes o f his Lifesaver candies.

Members o f Congress do not have an easy time. T hey are over­ burdened men. One o f the Congressmen in our Beta fold, who was always available for a Beta call and who had a vital interest in the Fraternity, was John J. Rhodes, Kansas State ’38.

I knew Fred Seaton from the time he was an undergraduate in the Kansas State chapter and was the Undergraduate Speaker at the Banquet at the Old Point Comfort Convention in 1930. Fred’s father was a Beta and it was he who as a Congressman appointed David Dwight Eisenhower to W est Point. I used to see Fred when

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he was in Washington. W e had a delightful trip back to W ashing­ ton from Bedford Springs where he had spoken at the Convention Banquet in 1955. Fred served for a short time as District Chief.

After the death of Senator Kenneth S. W herry, Nebraska ’14, Fred Seaton completed his term as a United States Senator from Nebraska. Fred was one o f President Eisenhower’s most trusted Advisors.

One January I preached at the Sunday morning service in King’s Chapel, Boston. T o my surprise the entire M .I.T . chapter and their dates, along with H arry and Geraldine Easton, were in the congregation. After the service with the Eastons I enjoyed dinner at the M .I.T . house. It was an occasion of which any chapter could be proud. T hey were perfect hosts.

Phil W ilber, Oklahoma State ’19, and I were Chiefs together.

Phil has been a noted architect and was for many years on the Oklahoma State faculty. H e was in charge of the building program at the University. W hen I was in Malden, Massachusetts, Phil made his first trip to New England. I remember how impressed he was by the trees. For a day I drove him to such places as M .I.T ., Harvard, Andover Academy, and around the N orth Shore. He was fascinated by the Colonial architecture. Ruth W ilber has been active as an officer of her sorority. I have seen her at Panhel­ lenic meetings.

Francis W ayland Shepardson was named for Francis Wayland, the renowned Baptist clergyman and first President o f Brown University. I have known several men with the name o f Francis W ayland. It has always been the name o f a person who had some kind o f a Baptist background, just as the name John W esley Brown depicts a Methodist background. J. Cal Hanna, with his John Calvin, was of Presbyterian stock.

Professor and M rs. Clarence V . Fowler were devoted parish­ ioners of mine in Washington. Clarence Vernon Fowler was Yale ’96. H e taught languages for twenty-two years at the United States Naval Academy. His wife was Portia Robert Fowler. H er father wrote Robert's Rules of Order. I think I am correct when I say that her brother was H enry M . Robert, Yale ’96, who later graduated from Annapolis.

W hen the Owen D Young Library at St. Lawrence University

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was dedicated the Young family very kindly asked St. Lawrence to invite me to preach the sermon at the Sunday Chapel Service.

All o f M r. and M rs. Young’s children and some o f their grand­ children were present.

O n e o f the interesting things in my estimate o f the Fraternity is a banquet o f Penn Beta Alumni. It is held in the University Museum.

This is the only place on campus where alcoholic beverages may be served. I have spoken there on three occasions. It puts a man in his place to give an address surrounded by mummies and sarco­ phagi. There are different halls housing ancient treasures from different parts o f the world. One who speaks at these banquets discovers that he has to walk through Africa and the Middle East to reach the M en’s Room.

T he Portland, Maine, Alumni Association held annually a wellattended Beta Dinner. I spoke at several. This was one place where any speaker had to pay for his dinner. W hen Bill G entry was Chief o f District I, Bill and I were invited to be co-speakers in Portland. In the middle o f winter we went up from Boston by train. On the way I said to Bill, “ I ’m sure you will be expected to pay for your dinner.” W e had a get-together o f the alumni in the hotel where the dinner was to be held. As Bill and I entered the dining room each o f us was asked for two dollars to pay for our meal. Bill never got over it. O f course, I have been to many dinners at which I would have paid a much higher price if I could have avoided them.

Frank A. Bayrd, Boston ’94, was a powerful figure in the life of Malden, Massachusetts, when we moved there in 1928. H e was one o f the wealthiest men in the city, owned and published The Malden Evening News. H e was devoted to the Fraternity and as bitter as one could be over the demise o f the Boston chapter. H e knew I was a District Chief. W henever Frank saw me he put the personal responsibility on me to re-establish a Beta chapter at Boston University. And it was to be at once! T o my embarrass­ ment he published several editorials about Beta T heta Pi and me.

I don’t think Frank Bayrd knew there was any other fraternity which had ever existed. He had an exalted opinion o f Beta Theta Pi. In Malden I had happy associations with Fred Nash, Yale

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’00, who was Assistant Head M aster o f the high school, and with John B. Mathews, Bowdoin ’18, who was on the faculty and be­ came Head M aster. I knew well W illiam H . Bailey, Maine ’91, a most successful contractor. I married his son, Bill, who was also a Maine Beta, to a girl in my church. For a time minister o f the great Centre Methodist Church was W illiam S. Mitchell, Iowa W esle­ yan ’00. H e loved the Fraternity.

Francis P. Scully, M .I.T . ’15, attended every M .I.T . chapter and Boston Beta gathering which was held in his time. H e had one o f the strangest complexes I have known. Someway or other he would get the floor and make an address on the greatness o f our Fraternity. This hinged on the fact that he was the first Roman Catholic taken into the M .I.T . chapter. H ow little we knew what was ahead in terms of heterogeneous membership which would face all fraternities. Beta Theta Pi has a record of good judgment and high performance in its membership policy. M ost of us are grateful we have done as we have.

Spig Fawcett and I rode for a day in the Dome Car o f a train crossing Montana. It was an experience I will always remember.

Montana is one o f my favorite states and Spig Fawcett is one o f the best travelling companions I know.

Several times when I was in Denver I stayed at The Top o f the Park. (The building has been torn down.) On the top floor there was a dining room from which you could look out on to the eastern slopes o f the Rockies. One morning at breakfast with Roy Marx we were able to look for ninety miles to the south and see Colorado Springs.

W hen Bob Kurz became Editor o f The Beta Theta Pi I felt we had the service o f a man who would do a fine job for the Fraternity.

All the Editors I have known have been most conscientious and have rendered yeoman’s service. W e as a Fraternity through our Editors have produced a Magazine which has a dignity and charac­ ter.

In my early years in the Cosmos Club in Washington, D. C., I knew Frank Lyon, Richmond ’85. H e was the only man I ever knew who was a member o f the Richmond chapter. The Cosmos Club has had in its membership many Betas. Tom Spaulding served as president o f the Club.

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One Easter, “H i” Stephenson of Miami, M rs. Stephenson, and their two children attended our service o f worship.

I knew Hale Boggs, Tulane ’35, when he was an undergraduate.

I have enjoyed his friendship over the years. W e have spoken together on several programs. H e has been a prominent member of the House o f Representatives. His Beta loyalty and devotion have never waned.

W hen Chuck H ittson was District Chief we made a trip to Washington and Lee and Virginia. Chuck’s wife and little girl were with us. I really felt that from the speed Chuck kept up he would qualify for the Indianapolis Five Hundred. Business de­ tained me in Charlottesville. I returned to W ashington by train.

I missed the charming company o f this wonderful young family, but I was glad the trains were still running.

M y appreciation for help rendered me by ladies who worked in our Oxford office is very genuine. It has been a joy to know per­ sons such as Ruth Cookman, M arjory W arren, M rs. Young, M rs.

Powell, M rs. Fairchild, M rs. Shearman, Miss Petry, M rs. Hirsch, and others. These women did much to keep Beta T heta Pi in operation. T hey helped in its development and efficiency. They won the affection and esteem o f thousands o f members o f our Association.

Travelling with District Chief Meid Compton was something to be remembered. One spring he had most o f the flies in Indiana in his car. Fred Brower gave him the name “T he Fly M an.” I had the pleasure o f a visit in M eid’s lovely home in Carmel, Indiana.

On that visit I met M eid’s grandmother and mother. W e sat in the living room and had coffee and cake. One day Meid and I went into a drugstore in Crawfordsville for a milk shake. Meid said to the man behind the counter, “ Up in this W abash College do they have fraternities?” T he man replied with no animation in his voice, “Yes.” Meid then asked, “W hich is the best fraternity chapter?”

T he reply came, “Aw, they are all the same.” Later on the trip Meid and I went to Hanover. W e had often talked about Ben Hur and its author Lew W allace. In Crawfordsville we had visited the W allace home. A t Hanover we thought we’d have a little fun and as we sat in the living room we asked the boys who wrote Ben Hur. N o one knew. A fter quite a bit o f prompting one lad ex­

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claimed, “ W allace.” I said, “ Yes, Lew Wallace. I fought under him in the Civil W ar.” One o f the kids screamed in shock, “ You did!” One can be sure there was some ribbing of that lad, but I still think I looked like a Civil W ar Veteran to that youth. Meid and I attended the Senior’s Dinner at Purdue. It had turned very hot outside. In the dining room over a hundred men were packed.

N o window could be opened because the storm windows had been nailed on in the fall and no one had gotten around to taking them off. I am reminded o f another chapter house where I was seated at the Head Table. It was cold weather. T he window behind the chairs at the Head Table had been broken. It had not been fixed.

W e received full air-conditioning treatment.

On a train going to N ew York C ity a lad went down the aisle with a Beta Pledge Button in his lapel. I put out my hand and grasped his arm. I said, “ I see you are a Beta pledge.” I asked him to sit down with me and then told him I was General Secretary o f the Fraternity. T h at meant nothing to him. I could not find one thing he knew about our Fraternity. H e had been recently pledged, but, nevertheless, he was pledged to something about which he did not have the slightest knowledge. It made me wonder not too happily.

Frank Nash Cleaveland, St. Lawrence ’77, was an ardentmember o f our Fraternity. H e was at the Convention when Alpha Sigma Chi joined Beta Theta Pi. His funeral was held in Canton, New York. I as an undergraduate was a pallbearer.

A t the 25th Anniversary o f my pastorate in Washington, D. C., two Betas played a prominent part. Ralph Fey spoke for the Fraternity and Phil Young spoke for St. Lawrence University.

A t one o f the Mackinac Conventions before W orld W ar II one o f our chapters brought with them a German boy who was en­ rolled in their institution and lived as a guest in the chapter house.

H e was not a Beta. It was thought it would be enlightening and entertaining to have him address the Convention. This he did. H e gave a rabid Nazi speech and called the United States and demo­ cratic government all kinds o f insulting names.

T he M inn’s Lectures are held annually. I had the honor o f giving these lectures in the First Church, Boston. T he minister was Rhys W illiams, St. Lawrence ’51.

T he last trip I took to Syracuse by train was a nightmare. I left

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New York City at 10:30 p .m . There was no heat in the car. I awakened and the train was stopped. M y bedroom must have been one hundred degrees. I threw open the door and the porter hap­ pened to go by. H e said we were in the station and they had con­ nected heat from the ground. It was so hot I hastily dressed, and, although it was 5 :30 a .m ., got off the train. It was dark and noth­ ing looked familiar. I said to the porter, “ Is this Syracuse?” H e replied, “No, East Syracuse.” 1 later learned that trains no longer go into Syracuse. One has to get off a train at East Syracuse and go into the city. T h at morning I caught a workman’s bus and got to the Syracuse Hotel as daylight was breaking. It was extremely cold. Behind me lay a terrible night and before me I had three days o f travel and speaking.

J. Stanley Young, Pennsylvania ’24, was one o f the most active Betas in the Washington, D. C., Association. W hen we re­ modelled Perkins Hall in our church, Stanley contributed his architectural services and did a superb job. Once when he was sick he called me. H e had to go to the hospital. Bob McDowell and I took him in my car to M ount Alto V eteran’s Hospital. There we left him. T hat evening we were having a church supper. I received a call from the hospital saying Stanley wasn’t eligible to stay there and I must come at once and get him. I dropped everything and went out only to find that Stan had dressed and gone home. The experience must have done him much good because his health im­ proved.

T he Convention in H ot Springs, Virginia, in 1932 took us to one o f the most luxurious hotels we had ever been to for a Con­ vention. I recall the service, accommodations, and delicious food.

One afternoon those at the Convention gathered on the lawn to see a total eclipse o f the sun. A t H o t Springs, Virginia, while the Con­ vention was in session Dick Steele’s wife, Helen, was taken ill.

I was rooming with Doc Gutelius and he was gravely concerned about her condition. Dick and Helen got home and shortly after­ wards Nancy was born.

T he 1935 Convention at the Seigniory Club in Canada took us to a most beautiful place. It was not an outstanding Convention.

M any o f us came down with heavy colds. One night we had a dance. T he Officers and their wives and the undergraduates entered into the spirit o f the evening and it was a gala affair.

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W e had been urged to have a Convention in the South, so in 1936 we went to Biloxi, Mississippi. T he heat and humidity were dreadful. One never had a dry stitch on his body. T he water in the G ulf was brown and muddy and as warm as one could imagine.

W e had shrimps at every meal. One night with Bill Dawson I went to a barbecue given by Pat Harrison, candidate for the United States Senate. It was an experience in politics which I have never forgotten. W e visited the summer home o f Jefferson Davis. M any o f the women at the Convention spent their time in New Orleans and shopping through the countryside. I was interested in the turpentine groves and other things which I had not seen before.

Sumter M arks and three de la Houssaye brothers, all o f the T ulane chapter, were cordial hosts. A rthur de la Houssaye and I were Chiefs together. A t this Convention H arry Eggleston, who was Chief in District III, had with him his old Beta chapter mate, Edwin G. Sykes, St. Lawrence ’13. After graduation Eddie Sykes took over his father’s farm. Eddie was brought up in an area where even in summer it can be cold. A t the Convention Eddie suffered from the heat. H e finally told me that before he left Canton, N ew York, he purchased new long woolen underwear and that was what he was wearing. It is a miracle he wasn’t prostrated, but he got home without damage.

On a trip to N ew England when I came into Boston on the morn­ ing sleeper I couldn’t step on my right foot. H arry Easton and I were to go on to Dartmouth. M y foot was so bad I had to go to a doctor who told me I had gout. T he Dartmouth trip had to be cancelled, but I preached that night at a Lenten service. I had to sit on a stool in the pulpit. I spent the night with the Eastons at their home in W inchester, Massachusetts. T he next morning H arry put me on the train for Washington. After my return home I had to go to the doctor every day for a month to receive deep heat treatments for my foot.

Just before Bill Littick was married he, John Dolibois, who was a D istrict Chief, and I visited Ohio W esleyan and Ohio State.

Both Bill and John were splendid travelling companions. Both have been men the Fraternity could call upon for any service and they would render it well.

W e needed a Chief in the Chicago area. Bert Bennett said to

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me, “Chub Rich is back in Chicago, why don’t you try to get him?” I approached Chub, never thinking he would accept, but he did. W hen he was Chief we went on many visitations together.

His three years on the Board brought a man o f generous spirit and devotion to our councils. Chub and I have had a very close friend­ ship. I will always be thankful for the suggestion Bert Bennett gave me.

John Hoffman, Arizona ’26, had tried everywhere to get a copy o f The Beta Book by Francis W . Shepardson. I had one in which there was a hand-written message from Shep to me, and on the same page a hand-written message to me from W illis Van Devanter, DePauw ’81, who was a Justice o f the Supreme Court.

I sent this book to John as a gift which he was to hold, but when­ ever he was through with it, it was to go into the Archives in the Administrative Building. Shortly after I sent John my book he was given a copy. Thereupon he kindly sent my book to Oxford, where I hope it will remain.

I had known Frank G ierhart when he was an undergraduate in the Oklahoma State chapter. Frank was drafted and after basic training was assigned to the Pentagon. Frank was one o f the most faithful church attendants I have known. H e brought scores o f Betas and young people to our services o f worship. H e was a tremendous help to me. W e went on many visitations to Hopkins, Virginia, and W and L when he was District Chief. Frank took a leading part in the W ashington, D. C., Association. His home was Sapulpa, Oklahoma. H e acquired the nickname o f “the P. o f S.,” which stood for “ the Pride o f Sapulpa.”

On a long drive between chapter visitations Fred Brower and I were talking about the development and growth o f men. W e wondered about what happened to us on the journey through life.

Fred spoke o f situations where men seem to make brilliant be­ ginnings and then are never heard of. I venture the suggestion that some men reach a plateau and stay there. T hey may reach it at twenty, thirty, or forty. Some men never stop growing. T he more I have watched persons, the more I have believed this. Fraternity w ork offers a comparison, but I would not make it in an invidious spirit. I learned that in the field o f fraternity w ork some men reach their plateau after one year, two years, five years, ten years.

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This is no criticism. It is a matter o f human nature and one which should be understood in the whole management, personnel pro­ gram, appointment, and election o f fraternity officers. A General Secretary o f Beta T heta Pi must be kind and understanding, but he must have the strength and will to relieve men o f office and appoint other men in their place when the good o f the Fraternity requires it.

W hen Sam M cCartney was a District Chief we made several trips. On one of these trips we visited the Penn chapter and went on to Dickinson. Sam drove me back to Harrisburg. H e was to go on to Philadelphia and I was to return to W ashington by train.

The drive was a tough one through rain, wet snow, and fog. W e reached Harrisburg after dark and had dinner in a small hotel in a dining room with a blazing log fire. It was a delightful meal and a warming and cheery hour. I was sorry Sam had to drive through such weather to reach Philadelphia, but I confess I was thankful I could get aboard the train. I think Sam should have some kind of medal for what he suffered at times from the Penn chapter. He kept his dignity and made a major contribution. It was with plea­ sure I saw him elected to the Board o f Trustees. I served with him my last year on the Board.

Ken Nelson served as Chief o f District XXII. As General Secretary I made trips through his District with him. I recall a luncheon in the Colorado College chapter house when Ken re­ ceived disrespectful treatment. T h at night at a dinner in the Colo­ rado chapter house he was treated even worse. I was chagrined and felt sorry for callow youth who hurt themselves more than they hurt their District Chief. o f the way chapters at times treat a District Chief I can say that in nine years as a Chief in two different Districts I was always gratified by the way I was welcomed and treated.

There were two or three times when I was sorry I made the trip and more sorry that young men receiving the advantages of higher education could behave as they did.

W es Colbrunn, when he was District Chief in XX, gave me the pleasure of his company on several chapter visitations. A t the time he was unmarried and I must say he knew some o f the bestlooking girls I have ever seen. H e introduced me to one o f his friends in Columbia, Missouri. She was as beautiful as a girl could I n s pe a k in g

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be. W es told me she was one of four sisters who were equally beautiful. T hat must have been a nice home with a proud father and mother. I imagine that at times with the pressure from the boys, the father and mother must have nearly lost their reason.

Ralph Edgerton was a Chief when I was General Secretary. H e was elected to the Board and was a strong member. I recall having breakfast in his home in Spokane. It was deliciously prepared by M rs. Edgerton. O ther guests were Jim Johnson, George Shields, Joe Tewinkel, and Thad Byrne. W e had a wonderful breakfast and it was a memorable meeting. Both Joe Tewinkel and Thad Byrne had served as D istrict Chiefs. This was also true o f Ralph, Jim, George, and myself. None o f us had been Editor except Thad.

John K. Boardman, Ohio State ’22, and I were Chiefs at the same time. Years later at the Ohio State house I met John’s Beta son. Columbus, Ohio has been a city o f Betadom. It has been the home o f men like John H . Summers, Ohio W esleyan ’07, former D istrict Chief Doc Loveless, Chuck Kent, Johnny Jenkins, and an host o f others.

Frank W eaver, with whom I served in the Chiefs’ Corps, be­ came a Judge in the State o f Washington as did former District Chief Peter M . Gunnar in the State o f Oregon. Ralph Edgerton was a prominent Judge also. Former District Chief M ark O. Hatfield, whom 1 appointed, became Secretary o f State, Governor, and United States Senator for Oregon.

Dr. Joseph C. Dawson, Toronto ’33, was one o f my Chiefs for several years. Strange to say I never met him. John Fox, Missis­ sippi ’20, was a Chief for one year when I was General Secretary.

John never answered one letter or wrote me one letter. John Fox was for years the guiding spirit of the Ole Miss chapter. It was his persistence and determination which built the new house which we dedicated at Mississippi in the 1960s.

Don Daugherty, Penn State ’38, was a Chief in the Pittsburgh area. One o f the wildest rides I have ever had was with him at the wheel. W e were making a trip through the hills o f W est Virginia on a narrow, hilly, and winding road. It finally was too much for me and several times I asked him to slow down. Each request I made would send Don into gales of laughter. I am sure he never had such a good laugh as he did on that ride. I wasn’t laughing one bit.

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For many years the M .I.T . chapter had a fine looking, capable Negro butler by the name o f Booker. H e knew everyone who had been in the chapter and in the dining room at the dinner hour he was a delight to behold. H e had deep affection for H arry Easton.

T he minute H arry would enter the M .I.T . house Booker would rush out and grab his hand and say, “Hello, H arry .” T he greeting would be warmly returned. I was at the M .I.T . house frequently as I was in Boston about once a month. Booker developed great warmth toward me. H e was an outstanding person. One night my phone rang at home in Washington. Someone said, “This is Booker.” It turned out to be our M .I.T . Booker. H e was visiting in Washington and felt he must call me. I have never forgotten or failed to appreciate this act o f thoughtfulness. In many o f our chapters we have had cooks, housemen, and maids who have served for years and years. On many chapter visits I have been taken to meet the cook. In N orth Carolina there was a houseman who in­ sisted he had been initiated and was a Beta.

Letters o f condolence, sympathy, congratulation, endorsement, and encouragement running into the hundreds were written by me.

T he most unbelievable thing is the very, very few which have ever been acknowledged. I ’ve thought long and honestly about this. It may be that persons do not wish to receive such letters and maybe the w riter o f them is foolish. A t any rate without cynicism I learned long ago not to expect answers. I have sent twenty-five or thirty Convention Manuals to persons I thought would be inter­ ested and have had perhaps one acknowledgment. A General Secretary and Administrative Secretary must early in his career steel himself to receiving few replies to his mailings.

N ear the end of his life 1 had a visit with Robert R. Reynolds, N orth Carolina ’06, and his daughter. Bob had been a United States Senator. His daughter was the child o f his marriage to the daughter of Evalyn W alsh McLean. Bob Reynolds and his daughter had a real interest in the Fraternity and the N orth Caro­ lina chapter whose library contains many o f Bob’s books. I was well acquainted with Bob’s son when he lived in Washington. H e was a N orth Carolina Beta in the Class o f 1934. H e was killed in an automobile accident.

A t one o f the Bigwin Conventions Bing Baily was General

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Secretary. The undergraduates as a joke got singing “ Old Bing Baily is in the alcoholic w ard.” Months after the Convention I had a scathing letter from a Beta alumnus about a General Secretary who was drunk throughout our Convention at Bigwin. Fortu­ nately 1 knew the Beta who wrote the letter. I was a District Chief at the time. W hen I was in his home city I went to see him. His charge was based on reports about the undergraduates singing “ Old Bing Baily is in the alcoholic w ard.” I informed this Beta that Bing Baily, who was one o f my closest and dearest friends, was an exemplary character and to my knowledge had never touched a drop o f liquor. O f cockeyed rumors doth much trouble often come!

W hen one visits the Toronto chapter house he should stand before the fireplace. There one can seen the bronze plaque to Lt. M ike Malone, who was killed in action in France in W orld W ar I. On the plaque are M ike’s last words to the men who came to carry him back to safety, “Never mind me, carry on.”

Going by a pawnshop I saw in the window several fraternity pins. There was a Beta Badge among them. I went in and told the man behind the counter I would like to see the pins. W hen I said I would buy the Beta Badge he knew the exact price our Badge was retailing for. T he Badge I recovered belonged to a Rutgers Beta who had lost it. I sent him the Badge and he sent me the amount I had paid in the pawnshop. I had a letter from H arry the H atter in Miami Beach, Florida. H e had found a Beta Badge. Did I want it?

I replied I did and would gladly pay him for it. H e sent it to me with a kind letter in which he said he wanted no remuneration. He added, “ I believe in service.” A lady wrote and made an appoint­ ment with me at the church. W hen she came she brought a very old Beta Badge. On the back o f it was her grandfather’s name. A search o f our records has failed to show this name in any chapter.

T he writings and addresses o f A. J. G . Priest have been an in­ spiration to me. A. J. is a master in the choice o f words. H e has an art, which few men possess, of expressing in concise and vivid language what he wants to say. I have read his The Great Ones ten times and each time I have found new stimulus.

O f course, one has to have the experience o f being a Beta to understand what it means. One has to read about and become fa­

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miliar with our history and tradition. I have read and re-read The Beta Book The Beta Story Beta Letters Beta Bards, The Great Ones Marching Along, as well as many chapter histories. I have told undergraduates that the more they knew about the Fraternity the more fascinating their Beta experience would become.

Having attended many anniversaries and initiations I am per­ suaded that alcohol and Beta affairs do not mix well. T he more alcohol the less effective evening. The less alcohol the more effec­ tive evening.

W illiam P. Smith, Michigan ’19, was the son o f a Michigan Beta who for years was a member o f Congress. Bill was a lawyer in Washington. H e was an aviator in W orld W ar I. W e have had a friendship which has extended over three decades. W e often met for luncheon and visited in Bill’s office. H e has been a devoted member o f the Fraternity and his chapter. Each year he would give a luncheon at the Metropolitan Club for his close friend, Dwight Joyce, Michigan ’22. These luncheons were delightful affairs and brought together Judges, Senators, Congressmen, and leaders in Washington. Bill was kind enough to include me as one o f his guests.

George Chandler lived for years in the Brighton Hotel in Washington. I am thankful I knew George intimately and saw him often at the Cosmos Club and Beta gatherings. George was a great man. His knowledge o f the world, U. S. Army, engineering, Michigan, and Beta T heta Pi was beyond measurement. I thought George had the right idea about expansion, i.e., in each state the State University (if it was outstanding) and one or two leading private colleges. George realized we couldn’t be everywhere and cover every college. Therefore, we should not weaken ourself by going into every institution in every state where there was an opening or where some local partisan wanted us to be. George Chandler had much to do with keeping us on the track in regard to new chapters. H e also worked on the Ritual and developed much o f our Heraldry. One night George and I attended an initiation and banquet at Hopkins. T he undergraduates acted ridiculously and got to throwing rolls and food. I insisted that George be asked to speak. I am not sure the young men present understood the words o f this remarkable Beta. W e returned home by train. W e

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reached Union Station in W ashington at midnight. It had turned cold. George had no overcoat. I worried about him but he suffered no ill effects.

One can speak only for himself. It has been my belief that George Chandler should have been General Secretary o f Beta Theta Pi. O ther persons who know the story may not agree with me. I know that George never overcame his deep regret. T he fact is, and I have it from him, that he and Shep never got along too well. George admired Cal Hanna, Baird, Sisson, and Robb. It has always fascinated me that I have never been anywhere where there were Betas who had known Shep who did not mention him. The impact and lasting influence o f his personality were beyond de­ scription. On the other hand, I do not know o f four men who had more gifts and power in their make-up than Hanna, Baird, Sisson, and Robb. I cannot understand why they have not been remem­ bered more vividly in Beta history. I believe that Cal Hanna did more than any man of his time to shape our Fraternity. In the church we talk about persons who developed “ a systematic the­ ology.” Cal Hanna developed “ a systematic Beta Theta P i.”

There is no doubt in my mind that the man who comprehended what the college fraternity was and better than any other person grasped its totality and most minute expression was William Raimond Baird. H e had a great mind. One who reads his writings and studies what the man did and said will realize how remarkable he was. His imagination was large and he could formulate what ought to be done to give an organization force and structure. Baird was a genius.

George Chandler had an operation. I called on him many times in Garfield Hospital. H e would be surrounded with Beta letters.

The last visit I made to George was when he was in the hospital at G reat Lakes Naval Station, Illinois. I appreciated the friendship o f his son and daughter-in-law, Bruce and Helen, and their chil­ dren, George and Fran.

George Chandler’s burial in Arlington National Cemetery is etched in my mind in detail. There were the flags carried in the stiff breeze, the blue sky, and white clouds. T he United States Army Band played. A detachment o f soldiers marched. The casket was covered with the American Flag as it rested on the

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caisson which was pulled by six dappled gray horses. T he family and Betas were there as I conducted the Committal Service for this unusual man.

Abe Goff, Idaho ’22, has been a Beta friend for years. He served in the Congress and became an Interstate Commerce Commis­ sioner. In W orld W ar II he was in the Adjutant General’s De­ partment. Abe had many experiences abroad but two remain in my memory. H e was assigned to be one o f the escorts o f Madame Chiang Kai-shek and he had close association with Haile Selassie.

Abe Goff was dedicated to the Fraternity, his Idaho chapter, and the Washington, D. C. Association.

I tried to get Charlie W ilson to speak at a Beta gathering. He replied that although he had been initiated into the Fraternity he had never known anything but the local at Carnegie Tech, and, therefore, could not speak as a Beta. I admired his honesty.

A t the first Beta Convention I attended at Swampscott, Massa­ chusetts, when I was a freshman, Jim Gavin was Convention President, Jay Eldridge, a Vice President, Ken Rogers, Secretary, John Zimmerman, Marshal, and M orrie Ebersole, Chorister.

Among the Chiefs were Sherry Baketel, Hugh Abbott, Clarence Campbell, Johnny Blair, Bert Stephenson, Pinky Thornburg, M orrie Ebersole, and Jay Eldridge. I met Slack Barrett, Byron Elliot, Gordon Smyth, Everett Sanner, Sherry Baketel, Jr., Knowlton Durham, and Robert P. Bridge, who all became close friends o f mine in later years.

Charles E. Odegaard, Dartmouth ’32, who became President of the University o f Washington, was in the Dartmouth chapter when I was Chief. W e began our friendship in those years. W hen Charlie was a graduate student at Harvard he attended our church in Malden and usually came home with us for Sunday dinner. I have stayed in his parent’s home in Evanston, Illinois. W hen Charlie was head o f the American Council o f Learned Societies in Washington, D. C., we saw each other often for two or three years.

T he years I worked with Ralph Fey were extremely meaningful to me. W e were in touch with each other constantly. H e was building up the Administrative Office and his mind was searching for better ways and methods. Ralph had a rare gift o f giving all

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major undertakings and minor ones a touch o f style and elegance.

H e thought o f so many things other persons would never have thought of. T he W ashington Betas gave me a Testimonial Dinner when I became General Secretary. Ralph was the main speaker.

Somehow he had gotten an original letter I had written Shep in the late tw enties. Ralph read it at the dinner along with other interest­ ing notes which went back to my Beta beginnings. The dignity of the Oxford office is a reflection of Ralph and Bonnie Fey. Ralph had a faculty for smoothing out unpleasant situations. H e con­ stantly saw the Fraternity as a creation which rested basically upon ideals which youth could use and cherish. It was a joy for me to see Tom m y Fey, whom I have watched grow up, become a Beta.

M y p r i d e has been real and deep as I have watched the entrance into our Fraternity o f Beta sons I knew from the time they were small boys. T o mention some: Cal Black, John Boardman, Kent Bonney, George Brown’s three sons, A rt Burris’ son, the two Chapmans, F. Law Comstock’s son, the son o f Chalmers David­ son, the two Dolibois boys, H arry Easton, Jr., Tom Fey, Carl Frische’s son, Hardin H arm er’s son, Clyde Kennedy, Jr., John Kniseley, Charlie Long’s two sons, Doc Loveless’ son, W endell M artin’s son, the two M orris boys, Ken Nelson’s son, Russ Ragan’s son, Pete Rich, Bob Shattuck’s son, the two Thompson boys, PeteW ensink. George Huntzicker and Scotty MacDonald had Beta sons. W e think o f the sons o f Bert Bennett, Ron Moist, Ben Grosscup, Ford W eber, and Joe Romoda.

Few persons would believe these four train experiences. A New York Central train at a grade crossing hit an auto in which there was a man, woman, and infant. T he car was crumpled, but the man and woman were uninjured. Their baby could not be found. The train stopped when it hit the car. Everyone was looking for the baby. A t last it was found unscratched one hundred feet up the track. It was under one o f the cars and was lying on the outer end of a tie between the rail and ballast shoulder.

On a Baltimore and Ohio train at a crossing we hit a car and demolished it. Everybody got out of the train. There was excite­ ment. T w o boys had been driving the car, but they could not be

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found. A fter a delay it was learned that when the car stalled on the track the boys got out and ran away as they had taken the car against their parents’ unwillingness to let them drive it.

Returning from the second Pasadena Convention there was a group o f Betas on T he Chief. As we pulled out o f the Pasadena Station a woman in a new air-conditioned Cadillac ran into the side o f the Diesel engine. T he car was bent into an L, but the driver was not hurt.

I saw the following occurrence: I was on a train about three hours out o f Asheville, N orth Carolina. Washington, D. C. was our destination. It was raining. I was sitting on the right side of the car looking out the window. For miles we had followed a steep embankment which rose above the tracks. On top o f the embankment was a road along which autos were moving slowly.

I thought, wouldn’t it be awful if an auto went off that road. The train was moving very slowly around a huge curve. Suddenly off the road came an automobile. It landed upright between the train and embankment. T he engineer had seen it and stopped the train abruptly. In the auto was a woman without a scratch. H er fiveyear old son had been on the front seat with her. His head had hit the dashboard and he had a severe bruise. There we stood with the automobile undamaged, standing between the clay embankment and the halted railroad train.

W hen Fisher Muldrow was District Chief we had many good times together. One Sunday afternoon at a Bigwin Convention, Fisher, Gordon Smyth, and I climbed the hill and then the T ow er to look out over the Lake o f Bays. I came to know H al Muldrow and other members o f this fine family of our Oklahoma chapter.

In later years Fisher had business in Washington, D. C., and when­ ever he could he worshipped with us in our church on Sunday.

I had worked in religious and community activities for some­ time with A. Burns Chalmers. I had known him as Chaplain at Smith College and as a prominent leader in the Society o f Friends and the Friends’ Educational Committee. One day we were talking about fraternities. I was greatly surprised when he told me he was a member o f our Yale chapter. I wish we could have used him in our Fraternity work because he is a man o f talent.

Some o f the most enjoyable times I experienced were with Doc

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Kniseley when he was a Chief. I preached one Sunday in Denver.

Doc, M ary Jo, M ary Beth, and John attended the service. Doc had arranged for a group o f Betas and their wives to come to­ gether for dinner following the service. W e met in a fine restaurant outside Denver and had a most pleasant time before I took the train East.

T he special Chapters Commission in the thirties had five mem­ bers. Charlie Gutelius was Chairman. O ther members were H erb Hall, Ron Moist, Ken Smiley, and myself. Later Bill Kimmel was added. There were twenty-two chapters in grave diffi­ culty. T hey were consistently and persistently aggravated prob­ lems in every department o f their operation. It was decided that members o f the Commission would visit each chapter. I f the situa­ tion was hopeless, a recommendation would be made that the Charter be withdrawn. T he members o f the Commission divided the work and took to the road making visitations. I made several trips with Charlie Gutelius and several with Ron M oist. A t Rut­ gers and Hopkins we spent a lot o f time. Bill Scheetz was most helpful. Once Ron M oist and I visited every chapter house at Hopkins. W e had appointments with University officials and met with the Baltimore Beta Alumni. A t this time there began lasting friendships for me with Rig Baldwin, Hopkins ’23, Johnny Sher­ wood, Hopkins ’23, Pearce Cody, Hopkins ’24, and Johnny Rouse, Hopkins ’18. It may not seem possible and one may think that time blots out accurate memory. Nevertheless, in a little over two years twenty o f the twenty-two chapters which the Commis­ sion had assigned to it were on their feet. Some had made remark­ able progress. T he two remaining chapters were nursed along and one or two o f the twenty again slumped back.

One o f the hardest decisions the Board has always faced is when a chapter should be closed. Had some been closed the decision would have been wrong. H ad others been closed the Fraternity would have been saved future grief.

I do not know how many times I have arrived at a chapter house bone weary, spent, and out o f gas. Usually there would be forty or fifty hands to shake. Having been on the road all day you would ask whether you could wash up. T he Chapter President would take you upstairs to the bathroom. T he floor would be awash as

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two of the brothers had come in from touch football and had taken a shower. T he room was full o f steam because a brother was showering. A t two of the wash basins brothers were shaving be­ cause there would be a dinner with a General Officer present. On your heels you would walk over to an empty basin. T h at morning one o f the brothers had left his toothbrush and razor on the basin.

There would be no soap, so you would wash and then ask for a towel. T he Chapter President would disappear and after a long time return with a towel Brother Ray Ray had left in the house in 1914. Refreshed and immaculately clean you would be led down­ stairs to meet the Housemother.

Again and again I had just arrived at a chapter house and sat down when 1 would be asked, “Have you been through the house?” I would reply, “No, not yet.” Each brother who arrived would inquire whether I had been through the house. Finally, I would give up and the tour would begin. W e would ascend to the second floor. Down a long hall we would go with many brothers taking the tour. All doors would be closed until we arrived at the room ready for inspection. There would only be enough floor space for two of us to get in. There would be chairs, desks, cots, pictures o f girls, signs, athletic gear, empty bottles, steins, cloth­ ing, and everything that could be stowed in. Having made a full turn and looked at the four sides o f the room you would say, “ M y, this is a lovely room!” All would agree. Then you would go up to the dorm. H ere were thirty or forty double decker beds which had not been made since September 17, when college opened. It was now mid-April. Then you would have to see the way the chapter had fixed over the basement. Down you would go and behold this room o f splendor. T he upright piano had been painted yellow, the bar had been painted green, the lights had been made dimmer. On the walls were huge painted representations of T he Coat o f Arms, the Badge, the Dragon, and in-kai-. You would ask, “ W ho painted these?” You would be told that Jiggy Some­ body had great talent and had done it all alone. You would then ask where Jiggy was and you would be told that he had dropped out a couple o f years ago. A t this point a brother in the rear of the crowd would volunteer that Jiggy was now married and in Cali­ fornia studying for his Ph.D.

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Another nice experience was to arrive at a chapter house after the Big Week-End. The rugs and furniture were on the porch and had not yet been moved back. The room was barren and confetti and some o f the favors were still around. Decorations were in evidence and the chapter members looked as though they had been on the Bataan Death March. However, they were indomitable spirits. T hey would tell you that the Betas had the reputation on campus o f “ throwing the best parties.”

O ur Fraternity has had many gracious ladies serve as House­ mothers. Some of these ladies made life-long impressions upon our young men. I have seen in chapters the devotion of young men to these noble women. I could speak of many, but I will mention one who has been a dear and personal friend o f ours. M other Hall of the Oklahoma State chapter who has been with the chapter so many years has left her monument in the hearts o f countless boys who loved her.

Housemothers are born, not made.

I learned as General Secretary that Beta T heta Pi has never fully acknowledged its tremendous debt to many Chapter Coun­ selors and Alumni Financial Advisors.

The story can never be recorded of all that M other’s Clubs have done for our chapters. I recall the long, long years o f weekly meet­ ings in the chapter house of the M other’s Club at Syracuse. I think o f Oklahoma State, Auburn, and many, many other chapters.

T he Inter Fratres articles were re-printed by numerous fraterni­ ties and sororities. A publishing house requested permission to do them in book form. Some o f them were printed in trade magazines and fraternal magazines. I had countless letters about the ones on “ Legacies,” “Freedom W ith ,” “T he Eagle,” “The Schoolhouse Outside Concord,” but leading the list was “ W hat Is T he Best Fraternity?”

Scores o f Beta undergraduates have told me that their non-Beta fathers were hotter Betas than were they. These fathers read The Magazine from cover to cover and often refused to let their son take The Magazine away. I took Bob M cDowell’s father to the first anniversary banquet o f the W ichita chapter. M r. McDowell lived in W ichita. I know that Gordon Smyth’s father, although not a member o f the Fraternity, was a real Beta.

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One of the most renowned colleges in the United States had a Dean upon whom I called. H e spared nothing in telling me o f his low opinion o f men in fraternities on that campus. T hey seemed to be, according to his account, deficient in everything from schol­ arship to morals. 1 listened patiently until I could no longer. I then said, “ It is hard for me to understand what you have been telling me. Your Committee on Admissions screened these young men and let them into your college. T hey are your students. On any campus in existence a fraternity can take only those students who are there. The fraternities on this campus took as their pledges and members the men this institution enrolled and permitted to ma­ triculate.” T he conversation did not last much beyond that point.

T he President o f a large State University told me in his office that we could stay on that campus, but we could not have one thing to say about our chapter. I listened to this with real irritation. I finally said, “Sir, may I speak to you without your thinking I am disrespectful? T he Fraternity I represent has existed for a century and a quarter. It has had more than one hundred chapters in the best educational institutions o f the United States and Canada.

M any leading men in these two countries have been its loyal and devoted members. W e have nearly one hundred thousand names on our rolls. W e have funds in the millions o f dollars. W e have ideals and we do not tolerate untoward acts in our chapters if such acts are brought to our attention. T he young men on this campus wear our Badge and bear our name. T hey have gone through our Ritual. T hey know our history and lore. T hey sing our songs.

T hey read our Magazine. T hey go to our Conventions. Are you telling me that we have no right to say to young men in such an Association as ours nothing about our standards and what we expect o f them as members o f Beta T heta Pi?” T o the honor and credit o f this President, whom I have admired since our interview, he said to me, “ You know I never thought o f it the way you have explained it to me.”

As General Secretary I had to handle expulsions and resigna­ tions. It is a m atter o f pride with me that I did not carry through expulsions until I had given the person every chance to defend himself or be defended or appeal the case. In sixteen years I found a continuing spirit o f generosity and liberality toward persons involved in expulsion.

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O ur rate o f expulsion has been exceedingly low. There was a case in which thirteen men in one chapter were expelled at the same time. T he father o f one o f these boys got in touch with me.

He said he wanted his son to remain in the Fraternity and he sent through me a check for his son’s indebtedness to his chapter. Such cases are rare. T he lad referred to was not expelled. I never met him, but I hope he appreciated the kind o f father he had.

Resignations were difficult to handle. M en resigned for many reasons. Some no longer believed in fraternities. Some wanted to be detached from their fraternity. T he most common type of resignation revealed that the w riter thought that fraternities were too discriminatory. I took pains to write each man. I would ask him to reconsider. I would state that nothing in life was perfect and point out that his resignation might be an action he would later regret. I urged the person who wished to resign to take another look at the m atter before writing me again. I kept no record, but I would say fifty per cent o f the resignations were withdrawn.

Beyond this I had the pleasure o f moving at Board meetings the re-instatement to membership o f many men who earlier had re­ signed.

I s e n t from my three parishes nearly fifty students to St. Law­ rence University. I have seen scores o f young men go to college where there was a Beta chapter. I have recommended to chapters only men whom I would personally endorse. It is interesting to note that not over ten or tw enty per cent o f the men I recom­ mended were pledged. I respect the chapter’s right, and, o f course, the young man I recommended may have looked much different on a college campus. I continue to believe several chapters made bad mistakes and missed men who would have been ardent chapter members and a credit to the Fraternity as long as they lived. A boy I recommended was not taken. H e never joined a fraternity. H e graduated with honors. A t a Beta Convention a member o f his class, who was a Convention Delegate, sought me out. H e was a fine chap. H e said to me, “The greatest mistake our chapter made was that we did not take the man you recommended.” I do not generalize on the subject, but I often think o f the grave mistake we all can make when it comes to the selection o f members.

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During my terms as General Secretary and President I enjoyed delightful relationships with heads o f two companies with which we did most of our business. L. G. Balfour, known as Bally, and I have been friends for a long time. W e have corresponded and have enjoyed many things in common. Bally for years has been on the mailing list o f our church. H e has been a fraternity builder and a wise and generous elder statesman. I would not neglect to say I have known M rs. L. G. Balfour for three decades. George Banta and I have had close business, interfraternity, and personal associa­ tions. I have met George at the airport when he has been passing through. I have been his guest for luncheon many times. I have known M rs. Banta and their son, Bud, and most of the men in the Banta organization in Menasha. Irv W ensink has been a worthy interpreter o f the style shown by the Banta Company.

There was a local at the University of Rhode Island which we learned wanted to become a Beta chapter. W e spent time on this group and sent four or five members o f the Board to visit. As President I had an appointment to spend an entire day at Rhode Island in connection with this group’s petitioning for a Charter.

M y railroad tickets were purchased. The day before I was to leave I received a letter saying the group had gone into another fraternity. This to me was as shabby behavior as a group could per­ form. I’m thankful we didn’t get it. T he same thing happened when I was General Secretary with local groups at Colorado State and the University o f California—Davis campus.

Alvin L. Lang, Illinois ’19, who taught many years at Illinois, was a devoted Chapter Counselor. He kept the Illinois chapter on a high plane. H e served as a District Chief and brought to the operation of his district good and mature judgment.

Ned T racy ’s long years o f service in the Pacific Northwest brought a major contribution to our chapters in that area. Ned was one of my fine and reliable Chiefs. W e enjoyed trips together and at Conventions he was the kind o f person I liked to be around.

Fraternity functions are an interesting study. I don’t know why it is, but the Beta speeches given by me, which have been most often mentioned, were those given some years ago. One of these I called “ M other o f M en” and gave it at the 1948 Mackinac Con­ vention. Another speech, which persons have mentioned again and

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again, was given at the closing session o f the Convention at Bigwin in 1952. T hat was the year we had the serious trouble with the owner of Bigwin Inn. W e held our closing session Friday night after the Banquet. (Conventions in those days ran until Saturday noon, but after 1952 we never held a Saturday session.) I closed the Convention as we sat in a cold, dimly lighted Convention Hall, on the edge of the lake. T he hour was midnight. I spoke without notes and no recording was made, but I have never failed to hear about those remarks from men who were present.

A t the 100th Anniversary o f the Bethany chapter I took the motto o f that chapter, “Things o f the spirit,” and used it as my title. M any persons have remembered that address. T he talk which probably affected me most was one I gave when I was Gen­ eral Secretary. I stood in the parlor o f the Beta House at St. Lawrence. In this very room I had been initiated. T he active chap­ ter, alumni, and Fred Brower, who made the trip with me, filled the room. Joe Romoda could not be present because o f an engage­ ment at the University. As I spoke I seemed to relive in twenty minutes all my years in the old gray shingled house.

A t a Conclave at Colorado Mines I had a benumbing experience.

Undergraduates at the Conclave were discussing methods of dis­ ciplining pledges. A lad stood up and as though he were ordering two eggs for breakfast said that one o f the surest methods o f deal­ ing with anyone who presented a disciplinary problem was to put him in a bathtub with cakes o f ice and keep him there until he was nearly blue. I have heard o f sadism in many forms, but this recital was to me revolting. I let my thoughts be known and more than ever my hostility toward hazing and any form o f physical punish­ ment mounted.

T he Colorado College chapter entertained me at a luncheon at which many alumni were present. Colorado Springs is one o f my favorite communities and I am an admirer o f the beautiful Colo­ rado College campus. Dean Lloyd W orner is a Beta and a mighty good one. The new house at Colorado College was a blessing after the old one which was falling apart. On this trip to Colorado Springs I went for a few minutes into the old Antlers Hotel. 1 had stayed there with my father and mother when I was about ten years old. W e had been caught in a railroad washout. A fter much

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difficulty we reached Colorado Springs. In spite o f the intervening years I could remember every detail of our arrival at the Antlers H otel after a terribly stormy night as daylight was breaking through the clouds.

On one of the trips I made from Detroit to Mackinaw C ity Dr. Frank Buckman, founder o f the Oxford Group Movement, which later was called Moral Rearmament, and a group of his followers, had taken all the sleeping car reservations. Dr. Buckman and his followers were on their way to the headquarters o f M oral Rearma­ ment on Mackinac Island. Fortunately I had made a Pullman reser­ vation very early. T he only person I met on the train who was not in the M oral Rearmament group was a newspaper man from De­ troit who had been commissioned to write a feature article about the Group. I will never forget my impression o f Frank Buckman, his entourage, and the long trip on a train which was hours late in reaching Mackinaw City.

W hen I completed my w ork as General Secretary the Corps of Chiefs gave me a table clock. It has melodious chimes which I call “the Beta Bells.”

One o f the Badges I have worn a great deal is a Kirby Badge which Charlie Gutelius gave me when I became General Secretary.

H e had worn it for years. On the back o f the Badge is “Charles B. Gutelius, Pi ’05.” I have never had my name added. I have shown the Badge to hundreds o f Betas.

On three occasions I addressed the Diogenes Club in Cincinnati.

T he first time I made a casual remark that many men in the Fra­ ternity had a feeling toward it which was something similar to one’s feeling for the religion he professed. T o my amazement I received a caustic letter from a Beta who was present attacking me for such an irreverent remark. M aybe the w riter was correct.

A t Brown there is a situation I have never understood. President H enry W riston, whose father was a Beta, built the Fraternity Quadrangle at a cost o f four million dollars. (I knew H enry W riston’s father when he was retired from a long and fruitful ministry in the Methodist Church.) In the Quadrangle there are fraternity quarters without dining rooms. Meals are served to students in the Commons, which is located in the Quadrangle. O ff the huge dining hall in the Commons are individual fraternity

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dining rooms. Over the entrance to each are the G reek letters of the fraternity. 1 have never understood this strange arrangement.

I had returned to St. Lawrence to preach at Homecoming. I usually stayed in a small suite in the M en’s Residence. For some reason no arrangements had been made for me. T here was a Cottage which had housed forty co-eds. T he girls had just been moved to a new Dormitory. I was put up in this empty building.

There was not another person in it. I was not only alone, but the place itself was terribly unattractive and like any deserted dwell­ ing. Joe Romoda walked over to the house with me and said good­ night. H e added, “ You had better see that everything is locked be­ cause when buildings are empty sometimes the town kids get in and tear things up.” T h at made me feel even better. T o add to this night to remember I went into the bathroom, not knowing where the light switch was. I hit a glass shelf which smashed to pieces.

I have often thought I could have cut myself severely and it might have been a very grave matter. I never want to stay in a place like that again.

H ow can I describe Oxford, Ohio! It is one o f my favorite places. There I have spent many days. I love the town, the main street, the village, the University, the campus’ Harrison Hall, the Campanile, the Alpha house, the Administration Building. In the homes o f the people o f this community I have had some of the choicest hours of my life. H ere I have discussed the deepest prob­ lems of our Fraternity with Ralph Fey, Fred Brower, Bob Howard, Jerry Simpson, John Dolibois, Ron Helman, and dis­ cussed fraternity matters with leaders like Bob M iller of Phi Delta Theta, Jack Anson of Phi Tau, and Jim Thomson o f Delta Sigma Pi. I preached the Baccalaureate Sermon on the Athletic Field. As I began my sermon a thunder and lightning storm hit and we were nearly drowned. I have been welcomed in the homes of the Feys, the Browers, and the Helmans. There was the ride into Oxford from Cincinnati and the return trip. Over these years to which m y thoughts return often 1 do not think 1 could have been closer to anyone than I was to Ralph, Fred, and Ron. A t the 125th Anniversary at Miami we had an inspiring week.

W hen Jim Johnson got home he wrote me a note expressing his regret we had missed each other before our departures. In his note

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he said that before he drove away from Oxford he had to make one more trip back to the campus for another view o f the Campanile.

I know how he felt.

T he G reek W eek Banquet Address at Case was given by me in 1965. I had the day with the W estern Reserve and Case chapters.

After the banquet the Case chapter held an open house and recep­ tion. M any Betas from the Cleveland area attended.

Once at Ohio U. I had just sat down. I had been on the road four days attending meetings and speaking. I had three more chapters to visit before I started home. Tom Seifert was sitting next to me and he has never stopped laughing about what happened. A member of the chapter rushed up to me and said, “Come on, we want you downstairs.” I inquired, “ W hat for?” H e said, “ W e ’re going to have a snake dance!” I did not intend to be unkind, but I was so tired I said, “ Go ahead and have it!” T he story ends that I went downstairs and marched and marched with the hope we would somehow reach the end of this exercise in exuberance and for me human endurance.

I had gone to Chicago and had been with Hal Brown who was then a Chief. I took the Zephyr to Lincoln, Nebraska. Upon my arrival no one met me. I thought it strange that Cal Black, who was Chief and had written me he would be there, was not on the scene. I figured he had been delayed so I took a taxi to the Cornhusker H otel and went to bed. Around midnight the phone rang and it was Cal. H e and the chapter had been waiting at the Rock Island Station. I had come in on the Burlington. T he following morning I took the Chapter officers to breakfast in the hotel. 1 had the misfortune in that great farm country of getting two bad eggs.

Cal and I had a long day. W e called on the President and Deans.

I spoke at a dinner at the chapter house. Around 10 p . m . we went to the home of Cal’s sister and brother-in-law. W e had a pleasant visit. A t 11 o’clock a meal was served at which there was every­ thing one could wish to eat. T he meal was crowned with a huge strawberry shortcake. As midnight approached I suggested we leave. Before Cal and me were visits to Iowa State and Iowa. I was to stop at Coe College in Cedar Rapids to see the Beta President, Bo Brooks, who is H erb Smith’s brother-in-law. W ith the sugges­ tion I thought we should be returning to the hotel Cal’s brother-in-

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law said his Parish had built a new church. H e wanted me to see it.

I said it was late, but he retorted the church was just down the street. I then said we couldn’t get in at such an hour to which he replied that he had the key. There was no getting out o f it, so at midnight we drove to the church. Years later in Lincoln, Nebraska, I went to church with General Treasurer Burt Folsom. T o my astonishment this was the church we attended.

On another occasion I reached Lincoln, Nebraska, late at night.

As I walked from the train I saw a mob o f young people. I thought are these kids leaving on some kind o f tour? As I reached the group nobody recognized me, and if it had not been for Bob and M arilyn McDowell who had come from Lawrence, Kansas, to see me and were there with M arilyn’s brother, Tom my, a Nebraska A T O , I would have gone through the crowd to the hotel alone.

W hen I was recognized a double line was formed. Beta songs were sung. Flashlights went off. I received the full treatment.

M y experiences as General Secretary and President made a deep impression upon me. T he General Secretaryship carries power, responsibility, and authority. T he power must be used wisely, firmly, and justly. T he responsibility must be shouldered. T he authority was not put there as merely window dressing. T he office of President brings with it honor, praise, and some adulation. It is a “heady” office. One must remember Presidents like Hanna, Sisson, Robb, Shepardson, Dawson, Smith, Priest, Bennett, Bonney, and others who played an outstanding role in our history. T he Presidency calls for humility. There is no place in that office for the self-seeker, prima donna, or jealous person.

A General Secretary and President must become accustomed to being called on the telephone any hour o f the night. I was gotten out o f bed so many times I coined the expression “Beta nocturnal calls.” An undergraduate in the Wisconsin chapter phoned me at midnight. T he chapter was in trouble and it wanted to know whether I could appear at the Dean’s office the next morning at I I A.M.

T w o Beta dinners which were held in near blizzards come to mind. I had spoken at a Beta dinner in a Chicago hotel. T he taxi had a hard time getting to the B & O station. T he train had a

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harder time getting to Washington. T he attendance at the dinner had been large. I wondered how many o f those present got home through the storm. In the thirties the N ew England Association had a dinner in the ancient Vendome Hotel in Boston. It was a terrible night. Only twenty-two attended. Somehow Dick Steele, who was Chief of District I, got there from Hartford.

Jim Ewin as a District Chief made a large contribution to Beta T heta Pi in the South. W hen he and Farris Hotchkiss were Chiefs together they gave our Southern chapters stimulus. I once had the pleasure o f entertaining Jim and Louise Ewin at the Cosmos Club.

It was the first time I met them. Later they entertained me in their home in N ew Orleans and I remember an afternoon in Atlanta visiting with Farris’ mother and sister.

During the years I was District Chief I went to New York often to see members of my family, including my father and brother. I tried to have luncheon with Bing Baily, who was General Secretary. These visits with Bing brought me intellectual food and the warmth o f friendship Bing showed his fellowmen.

I had to be in Boston a great deal on church business. I made at least a trip a month to preach or speak. H arry Easton and I would arrange to have breakfast, luncheon, or dinner together. There could not have been a closer tie than the one which existed between H arry Easton and me. H e was in every way an exemplary person.

An invitation came to me to speak at Duke G reek W eek. I accepted. I spent the afternoon at the chapter house and that night spoke to a capacity audience in a nearby hotel. I developed many friendships among Duke Betas. I had the pleasantest relations with Dean Cox, who although not a Beta, took an interest in our chapter.

W hen John Danaher, Yale ’20, was a United States Senator from Connecticut, he spoke at an Annual Dinner o f the W ashing­ ton, D. C., Beta Alumni Association. T he dinner was held in a downtown hotel. Back o f the dais was a ledge about nine feet above the floor. W hile John was speaking, unbeknown to him, two rats were chasing each other along the ledge. John kept on speaking and the rats continued to have a wonderful evening.

W hen the Board met at the Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Virginia, A. J. Priest was President. One after­

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noon the Board was entertained by A. J. and Hartw ell in their home in Bellair.

One Sunday evening Burt and M argaret Folsom had a supper party in their home. It was the last event I attended at the time of the Nebraska 7 5th Anniversary. I was honored to be at the supper along with Paul and Jean Hyland and other Betas. Alas, Jack W hitten, with whom I served as a Chief, was too ill to attend.

T he Board o f Trustees asked Ed Brown and me to represent the Fraternity at meetings which were held in Arden House with Officers of the N IC . Arden House, fifty miles from N ew York City, was built by the father o f Averell Harriman. N o one would believe such a mansion could exist unless he saw it. E. H . H arri­ man, the builder, who made his fortune in railroads, never saw the mansion completed. T he property went to his sons. W hen Philip Young was Dean of the Graduate School o f Business at Columbia University, he and Averell Harriman worked out the arrangements whereby the property was given to Columbia. It has served a wonderful purpose as a place for meetings and conferences. Ed Brown and I had the honor o f sleeping in the room which had been Averell H arrim an’s. T h at night a bat got into our room and Ed and I had a time trying to get it out. N either Ed nor I like bats.

Ron and Lou Helman took my middle name and, using it, called their second son Roger. T hey took “ s” from my middle name Rogers and started their son’s second name which is Stuart with it. I have been appreciative and proud o f this naming o f a son.

Canton, N ew York, was to me a second home. For years I hoped I could go back there and live. I knew every street and house. I had close associations with the townspeople. Each building on the campus was beautiful in my sight. I knew every inch o f the old gray shingled Beta house. I loved Canton in fall, winter, and spring.

I was never there in summer. A fter graduation 1 went back often.

Each visit was a thrilling experience. It was in Canton, New York, where I entered St. Lawrence that life in a new dimension was opened for me. St. Lawrence held a place in my heart no words could describe. Beta Zeta chapter o f Beta T heta Pi enriched my life beyond measure. M y debt to Canton, St. Lawrence University, and the St. Lawrence Beta chapter exceeds anything I can repay.

On numerous occasions I was the recipient o f the kindnesses o f

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Bert Bennett. In two critical situations Bert flew to W ashington and we conferred. Few men, if any, have been more faithful servants or more positive influences in the Fraternity than has Bert.

A t the Miami Convention in 1954 things got hot on the Con­ vention floor. I was alone staying in a dormitory. One night as I was going to bed one o f the Delegates appeared at my room. H e apologized for something he had said. Before he left he remarked, “ I hope someday I can be a Beta like you.” I don’t know what precipitated this. I don’t know the boy’s name or chapter.W her­ ever he is I hope the Fraternity has blessed his life.

Spring is the busiest time for a General Secretary. Convention plans and details call for careful thought. T he Convention Manual copy has to be assembled and sent to the printer. Each year I would go over the answers on the Questionnaires. During my tenure this meant studying a thousand pages.

The debate over changing our colors from pink and blue was a continuing one. I am glad they were not changed. Countless times at sunrise and sunset I have seen what I call “Beta’s pink and blue.”

T he only Alpha Sigma Chi pin I have seen is framed and hanging on the wall o f the Rutgers house. It should be in the Archives in Oxford. I have been told that Ernest L. Robinson, St. Lawrence ’11, has one of these rare pins in his possession.

W hen Bill Yardley was a Chief we had many visits. I was al­ ways interested in his four attractive children.

Ray Eckmann and Chuck Frankland were Chiefs when I was a Chief. In Washington I had in the membership o f my church a lady who was a classmate o f theirs at Washington U. (Seattle).

Prentice E. Edrington, Tulane ’11, was a most interested mem­ ber o f the Fraternity. H e kept up his support o f the Tulane chapter and was active in the Washington, D. C., Association. Through instructions in his W ill, I officiated at his funeral.

Colonel Charles M . Piper, Indiana ’14, passed away in W ash­ ington, D. C. I conducted his funeral service. H e left a Beta son.

Charles McKillips and I attended the burial in Arlington N a­ tional Cemetery o f James D. Smith, Kansas State ’56. Jim was an active member o f the Washington, D. C., Association and en­ thusiastic about the Fraternity.

George B. Galloway, W esleyan ’20, and I were friends many

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years. H e was the author o f an outstanding work Congress at the Crossroads. His father, F. A. Galloway, was a W esleyan Beta, class o f ’92.

M ark Pangborn, Purdue ’35, was married by me in our church.

His father, M ark Pangborn, was in the class o f 1910 at Purdue.

H e served as a District Chief.

W ayne N . Aspinall, Denver ’18, served many years in the House o f Representatives from a District in Colorado. It was al­ ways a pleasure to see W ayne and as busy as he was he found time to attend Beta functions.

W hen Magnus H . Corin was a D istrict Chief we made many trips together. I remember a trip we made to Lehigh. T he house is built high on the side o f a great hill. T he evening we were there an ice storm hit Bethlehem. W e had to walk down the hill. It was a treacherous descent. W e spent the night in a hotel. T he next morn­ ing we went to the railroad station to get our train. W e found we were in the wrong station for any train to Philadelphia. After scrambling around we got to the right station and just caught our train. Sherwood Bonney’s son, Kent, was in the chapter when I made this visit.

Paul V . M cN utt, Indiana ’13, was connected with numerous government responsibilities which brought him often to W ashing­ ton. I did not see much o f him, but I remember being with him and Pat Hurley, who was a devoted Sigma Chi, at the Cosmos Club. W hen I think o f the Indiana chapter I think o f Paul V. M cN utt, W endell W illkie, and Charles A. Halleck as three political leaders from one chapter.

Burris A. Jenkins, Bethany ’91, was an outstanding preacher. He was o f the Disciples o f Christ Church. I never met him, but I read some o f his writings. Edward Schribner Ames was another out­ standing minister o f this church and a professor at the University o f Chicago. His son, Van M eter Ames, was a member o f our Chicago chapter, class o f 1919. H e and Dunny Clark were inti­ mate friends. In the College Avenue M ethodist Church in Somer­ ville, Massachusetts, there is a Memorial Room to Sam W alter Foss, Brown ’82, who wrote The House by the Side of the Road.

This church is often called the Sam W alter Foss Church. The Right Reverend Robert N . Spencer, Dickinson ’03, who was an

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Episcopal Bishop, was a leading American clergyman. Frank E. Duddy, DePauw ’ 12, and I were fellow ministers for ten years in the Boston area.

I attended five Conventions at Bigwin Inn. T he 1966 Conven­ tion brought no lessening of Beta spirit, but the conditions at the Inn were unbelievable. This was especially true for those who remembered Bigwin when it was one o f the outstanding resorts in Canada. In those days one would go by train to Toronto, then to Huntsville. A steamer would sail through the first chain o f lakes.

Then one was carried by a small train over a portage to where another steamer was taken which would dock at Bigwin Inn. The trip was about ten hours long and was delightful. A t Bigwin Inn one found perfect accommodations, the finest foods, gracious hospitality, and service beyond compare. T he early Conventions were held in this scene o f refinement and dignity. Returning home one left on an evening steamer and took a sleeper from Huntsville to Toronto. Today the Inn reminds one o f “ a relic o f former de­ cency.” W ere it in the W est it would give the feeling o f a ghost town. There was nothing o f the old elegance and dignity. In 1966 I seemed to see ghosts all around me. W hat had happened? T he hard roads and the automobile make the trip from Toronto to a point across from Bigwin Island a matter o f three hours. This is no longer a secluded spot but open to the changes modern transporta­ tion has wrought. W hen Ron Helman drove us from Bigwin to Buffalo in about five hours it was hard for me to believe I had seen two such different worlds as were presented by my first trip to Bigwin in 1927 and this 1966 trip which was marked by speed, ease o f travel, but also by a decline in many standards.

W hen Barry Bishop, who climbed M t. Everest, became a mem­ ber o f the Cosmos Club in Washington, D. C., I was one o f his sponsors. For many years I knew Barry’s father, who was a Dean at the University o f Cincinnati.

M any times at Beta gatherings in the Washington, D. C., As­ sociation the largest number o f alumni present from one chapter would be from Idaho. There has been tremendous loyalty to the Fraternity on the part o f countless men from the Idaho chapter.

Alfred C. Oliver, Jr., W est Virginia ’06, who was a Chaplain in the United States A rm y and had his neck broken in a Prisoner of W ar Camp in the Philippines during W orld W ar II, was in W ash­

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ington a great deal. I knew him slightly and appreciated his service to our country.

For more than a decade Robert Cummins, Miami ’19, was General Superintendent o f the Universalist Church o f America.

A t the same period Emerson H . Lalone, St. Lawrence ’21, was Editor o f The Christian Leader. I had the closest relations with both of these men in connection with denominational work. T hey were vitally interested in the Fraternity. This can be said o f many Betas who have been Universalist ministers.

M any times I heard a story which always brought a feeling o f well-being to me. Charlie Gutelius would recall the happiest hours in his Beta experience. These occurred in the chapter room which was over a drugstore in Bloomington, Indiana. T he chapter did not yet have a house, so a room was rented. H ere chapter meetings and initiations were held. A fter such meetings there would be cider and doughnuts and the singing o f Beta songs. Charlie would become a boy again as he told of these great occasions in his life.

Beta T heta Pi probably has as many moving songs as any fra­ ternity. There was a period when our songs were being w ritten by a number of men. T he names o f Horace Lozier and Ken Rogers lead the list, but there were many others who wrote outstanding songs. I have wondered why it was that after the time o f Ken Rogers few Beta songs were written. Surely, Lozier and Rogers, and the rest have not completed our hymnology. W h y did we pass from a period when the Fraternity moved young men to express through song what they deeply felt about the Fraternity? W hen will there be more writers o f songs like “T he Loving Cup” and “ Marching Along” ?

One night coming out o f Syracuse, N ew York, on the sleeper I had a lower berth. It had not been made up. I was sitting by the window reading. A crash of broken glass sounded through the car.

A rock had been thrown through the double window in the section just in front o f me. Had the train been moving one bit faster or had the rock been hurled a second later, it would have come through where I was sitting and I probably would have been seriously in­ jured.

I n m y Beta experience I tried to get along with all members o f the Fraternity. There were times when I did not admire or like some of

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the things which were taking place. I believed we were in a Fra­ ternity and there was always a test and standard o f courteous and dignified communication and relationships. I would be the first to confess my belief that no man can be liked by everyone. It isn’t humanly possible. A person has to stand by his convictions and he should not impute to others blame and think that he is blameless.

In my total Beta experience there were very few times when strained relations marked my working with other members of the Fraternity. There were two or three cases which came to a point which worried and grieved me. I do not exonerate myself, but being human I have had the feeling that at times I did not receive fair or just treatment. N o man sees himself as others see him.

W ithout being self-righteous I tried to make amends for my mis­ takes and I sought to cement friendships which had been weakened.

One who is an officer in a Fraternity like ours cannot tell every detail about what is happening. Often policies are in the formative stage. Every member of the Fraternity has a right to know as much about the brotherhood as he wants to know. However, when he is told the truth he should accept it in a fraternal spirit and he should realize that there are always reports which are made at each Gen­ eral Convention and the person who makes a report is placing his veracity before an assembly. Later the report appears in print.

W hen Gene Smerchek was in Kansas University Law School we corresponded often. A t the end of his first year I addressed him as “one-third Judge.” A t the end of his second year as “twothirds Judge,” and upon his graduation from Law School as “Judge.” Among many who know Gene intimately he is addressed as “Judge Smerchek.”

As General Secretary I received a call from a chapter which was in grave trouble. It was just before Christmas. Members o f the chapter had gone to a public park and cut an evergreen tree. T hey had taken it to the chapter house, placed it in the living room, and decorated it. T he police arrived, the boys were arrested, and fined.

Strange to say some of the members of the chapter felt they had been unjustly treated for having an abundance o f Christmas spirit.

I remember this case as an example o f the poorest and worst kind of public relations a fraternity chapter could perpetrate.

One o f the happy days I spent on the road was in Salt Lake City. D istrict Chief Roy Marx was with me. Several members of

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the chapter who were Mormons took us through the Tabernacle.

W e visited an amazing Museum and saw a collection o f things which had come to Salt Lake C ity in covered wagons with the first settlers. W hen I was a small boy I visited my father’s uncle in Salt Lake City. On the trip to which I refer when I was on a Fra­ ternity mission I tried to find my uncle’s house. I was unsuccessful, but I came near to its location. T he big white U was still on the side o f the mountain. I remember how from the back yard o f my uncle’s home I looked at that U. T he uncle to whom I refer was Charles P. Brooks, a graduate o f Sheffield Engineering School at Yale. H e was a renowned mining engineer and was called upon by the Government to help solve the problems o f landslides in Culebra Cut in the Panama Canal.

It was my sad duty to deal with several student suicides. In most o f these cases the man involved gave no hint o f what was to happen. It seemed to me that these cases occurred every so often and always brought the same shock. There was no explanation and I wonder whether anyone knows the answer to what happens to many students who on the threshold o f life take their lives.

George H oward Bruce made a real contribution to the Frater­ nity. W hen I was an undergraduate he was General Secretary.

A fter I became a District Chief I had the pleasure o f knowing George well. I remember a trip we took from Bala, Ontario, to Buffalo, N ew York, after the Muskoka Convention. George had a clear, concise mind. H e expressed himself well in the spoken and w ritten word. In his manner he was crisp and sometimes persons thought he was abrupt. T o know George H oward Bruce was to know a person who was an innate gentleman, a devoted friend, and a precise thinker. T o me George was always a teacher in terms o f what the real teacher should represent.

Over many years Clarence N . Cone, Ohio W esleyan ’14, was an ardent supporter o f his chapter, the Philadelphia Alumni As­ sociation, and the Association in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Conwell Smith, who served as a Chief in the Texas area, was the son o f Conwell Smith, who was a Beta at Purdue and DePauw.

Once when Conwell’s father was in W ashington he invited me to the hotel where he was staying and we had a delightful visit.

I have had persons ask me why older men continue to be inter­ ested in and give time to their fraternity. There are numerous

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reasons. In a few cases it may be a form of frozen adolescence. In some cases it may be that men cannot cut the cord between them­ selves and undergraduate days. There may be men who like to be around younger men, and receive their praise and admiration.

After long experience to back my conviction it is my belief that the majority o f men who continue their interest in their fraternity are men of deep feeling. T hey remember with thankful hearts what their fraternity did for them. T hey developed their dearest friendships in their fraternity. They wished to render a service and allegiance to something they loved and admired with the hope it would continue to bless young men in coming generations.

W hile I was serving as Chief o f District II, I was invited to the installation o f Stanley King as President o f Amherst College. It occurred on an Armistice Day and was an impressive ceremony.

A t the luncheon which followed W alter Lippmann was the speaker. It was the first time I heard M r. Lippmann and I still remember the brilliant and powerful address he gave.

A t Amherst College Geoffrey Atkinson, Amherst ’13, taught French for years. H e used to wear a large black hat and cape. He had a beard and made one think of Paris. H e was a fine speaker.

A t an Amherst Initiation he told this story. In Paris there is a cemetery with three graves near to each other. One is the grave of a man who perfected a writing ink. Another is the grave o f a de­ veloper o f an improved lamp. T he third is the grave o f a man of whom Napoleon said, “H e was the decentest man I ever knew.”

These words are carved in the tombstone. I have often thought of the story Geoffrey Atkinson told at the Initiation in the Amherst house. I believe that one of the highest compliments any person could be paid is to have another say o f him, “H e is the decentest man I know.”

A t the Asheville, N orth Carolina, Convention in 1962 I had a room on a cobblestoned courtyard. Some of the undergraduates invented a new game. A t night they would take hub caps off parked cars and roll them at one another across the stones o f the courtyard. T he acoustics were perfect. It sounded as though some­ one from Dante’s Inferno had returned to earth to give special punishment to persons who were trying to catch a few hours’ sleep. If one wants to torture someone, let him wait until that person has gone to bed and then roll hub caps over cobblestones outside his window.

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Frank H . Roberts, Denver ’19, and his brother, H enry B. Roberts, Denver ’26, were active in the Washington, D. C., Beta Association. Frank was a noted anthropologist with the Smithson­ ian Institution.

M arietta College in M arietta, Ohio, had for its President a Beta, Frank Duddy, whose Beta father was a ministerial friend of mine. Through Frank Duddy I felt a personal interest in M arietta.

It is hard to believe the changes which have come over the col­ lege and fraternity. All o f these have not been bad. M ost o f them could not be resisted. Four or five salient changes mark the scene.

For years most Beta chapters had an active membership o f from thirty to forty. N ow chapters may run from ninety to one hundred and twenty members. For years one would visit a campus which would be just the same as it had always been. A new building was a major event. A t St. Lawrence there were no new buildings be­ tween 1909 and 1927. This was true at places like W abash, H an­ over, Syracuse, Penn State, M .I.T ., and most institutions. W hen I was Chief in District II, I was invited to attend at M .I.T . the dedication o f a new building called Number Six. N o one knew who the donor was. Later it was learned that George Eastman had given the building. On that occasion A rthur Compton, the physi­ cist, was the speaker. T he old chapter house had its charm. It was really a large home for thirty boys away from home. Then came the large chapter house for eighty or ninety men. T here followed university and college fraternity housing. In the old chapter house the members provided their own social life. Dancers relied on Victrola records. An orchestra was not the commonplace. N ow the university offers student centers with bowling alleys, pool tables, snack bars, record players, plus swimming pools, golf courses, and riding stables. T he student in the mid-twentieth cen­ tury has far more provided for him by his university, but he prob­ ably never knew the fun o f clearing off the snow so one could skate on a pond in a meadow. H e never knew the fun o f a two-hole golf course and driving the ball from one hole to the other.

Scarlet and Brown are the colors o f St. Lawrence. T he varsity sweater was scarlet. This could not be worn in one’s Freshman year. Moving-up day came in late M ay. On that day when one had moved up he could wear a varsity sweater. I saved until I had five dollars and bought a varsity sweater. I put it away until the great day came. I will never forget the first time I wore that sweater. It

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was one o f my choicest and proudest possessions. I kept it for years after I had left St. Lawrence. This experience is symbolic to me. It represents love for and justifiable pride in one’s Alma M ater. It means saving the money to buy something one wants.

It stands for earning the right to have something which one has wanted very badly and it signifies that one has moved up to a higher class in his educational process. This kind o f sentiment I hope will not be lost from our world. W ithout this kind of ex­ perience the lives o f many men would not have overflowed with such tremendous riches.

T he Fraternal Fifties Cards brought delight to many. I did not keep track of the number I signed as General Secretary and Presi­ dent. I presented many. A t Beta gatherings across the country men have taken their card from their wallet and with pride shown it to me.

Joseph R. Farrington, W isconsin ’19, was a good and true Beta friend. W hen he was a student at W isconsin he developed a lasting friendship with Stanley Hornbeck, who was on the faculty. (Stan­ ley dropped into the W isconsin Beta house almost every day.) One summer before W orld W ar I Stanley and Joe Farrington went to Officer’s Training Camp at Plattsburgh, N ew York. Joe’s father was Governor o f Hawaii. T he family owned the oldest newspaper in the Islands. Joe was elected a delegate from Hawaii. During this period I knew him. H e was devoted to the Fraternity and rarely missed a Beta gathering.

For years in Board meetings we discussed presenting awards to Betas for conspicuous service. I was opposed to this. I felt we could not cover all deserving Betas. I also believed that the more our thinking was complicated about who had done this and who had done that the more the Fraternity would be involved in a pro­ cess it would regret. T he Beta Senate was short lived. This plan did not amount to anything and the majority o f members o f the Fraternity did not want it. Any chapter can honor any one o f its alumni or undergraduates. Only in the most exceptional cases should the General Fraternity select a person for outstanding honor.

On an elevator a young woman said to me, “ W eren’t you the speaker at the Theta Convention at Banff?” She had been an Alumna Delegate.

During my years in office nothing was more difficult to unravel

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chan the question of membership. I had scores o f letters from col­ lege presidents and deans requesting that we sign a statement stating that we did not have a discriminatory clause. There was a period when college administrations went crazy on this subject.

I was on firm ground. Beta Theta Pi never had a discriminatory clause. T he General Fraternity has not interfered in the selection by any chapter of its members. W e have had persons o f all races, religions, and I imagine no religion in our membership. I did not swerve in my position that universities and colleges were wrong when they interfered in the selection o f members by chapters on their campus. If a chapter was allowed to exist on a campus, it should be allowed to exist under the terms o f its constitution or code. I believe men have the right to associate themselves as Roman Catholics, Protestants, Christians, Jews, white, red, yel­ low, brown, black, or as fat men, thin men, bald men, or men with false teeth. I do not wish to be absurd. Nevertheless, in a democ­ racy it is a democratic right for men to associate as they see fit provided they are not disloyal to the government or indulge in subversive activities. One who talks about discrimination in fra­ ternities should first look at himself. A man discriminates every hour o f the day, and, if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be much o f a man.

I believe much o f the pressure put on fraternities came from selfrighteousness and from persons who had a lot to straighten in their own affairs before making fraternities their whipping boy. Fra­ ternities had little chance o f fighting back because they were on every campus by sufferance o f the institution. I have never thought fraternities got an honest or fair deal in the membership matter.

Lewis J. Brann, Maine ’98, served as Democratic Governor of Maine and Lewis O. Barrow, Maine ’16, served as Republican Governor o f Maine. I knew them both.

One o f my friends in the Maine chapter was Ernest Lamb o f the class o f 1910. H e was a pillar in the N ew England Association.

His son became a Beta and attended a Convention. Ernie Lamb was typical o f many strong and devoted Betas in the Boston area.

I remember the Board meeting at which General Secretary Paul Van Riper handed each o f us an announcement o f his coming marriage. Jim Johnson said, “ W ait until I tell Jane!” Each one o f us was extremely happy for Paul and we were pleased later to meet his attractive wife, Dorothy.

Alan B. Helffrich, Penn State ’24, served when I did as a Dis­

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trict Chief. H e was one o f the all-time star runners at Penn State.

H e won a gold medal in the Olympic Games and the Melrose A. C. Trophy. H e continued active in Penn State affairs and in the life of the chapter. On a visit to Penn State in the fifties 1 met Alan’s two Beta sons. Years later Chuck McKillips told me it was through Alan Helffrich that he went to Penn State.

George W . Long, Amherst ’35, was in the chapter when I was Chief. H e came to Washington with the National Geographic Society. T o my knowledge George was the only person who lost his life on a expedition for the Society. M cFall Kerbey, Texas ’08, held a prominent position in the National Geographic Society.

McFall and I were friends more than two decades.

I had a boyhood friendship with Bill V an Benschoten. H e be­ came a Beta at Syracuse in the class o f 1923. His father, William W . Van Benschoten, Syracuse ’94, was an influential figure on the Board o f Trustees at Syracuse University.

Bob Cronberg, W and J ’43, was in the Chiefs’ Corps when I was General Secretary. H e and 1 made some interesting trips together. I remember an all-night journey from Lansing, Michigan, to Chicago.

T he Beta Theta Pi Club in New York C ity brings back memo­ ries. T he Club had a beautiful building. There one would meet Betas from every chapter. W hen I was home on vacations I would go to the Club. It was a shame it had to close, but the overhead could not be met by income.

“T o Any Beta Reader” letters were started by me to keep the General Officers, former District Chiefs, and active District Chiefs informed about the Fraternity, and to give glimpses o f those who had worked together for Beta T heta Pi. I could not record the number o f letters o f appreciation I received and the number of persons who told me how much these letters meant to them.

As

a n Officer o f the Fraternity the number o f chapter visitations I made exceeded seven hundred and fifty. I spoke to many alumni associations and was invited to address numerous fraternities and sororities. Chapter visitations left deep impressions upon me: (a) I developed increasing admiration for chapter officers, especially chapter presidents. T he number o f young men who have been dedicated administrators o f their chapters is legion. The chap­

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ter presidency is an opportunity for leadership training. M ost young men develop under the responsibility they carry. (b) Chapter Roll Books are almost universally neglected. I do not know why someone in a chapter will not be responsible for keeping a Roll Book current. I have seen Roll Books in which on many pages nothing appeared but a signature. There was no bio­ graphical record. In later years this neglect was regretted by many historians. (c) As I travelled with General Officers and Chiefs I thought of their wives and families. O ur Fraternity owes an unending debt of gratitude to the women and children who were willing to have husband and father away from home in the service o f Beta Theta Pi. (d) There should be in our annals a page o f praise for Beta house cooks and maids. Generally speaking our undergraduates have been well fed. T hey have survived on the diet and some clean­ ing woman has kept a few bright spots shining. (e) On visits to chapters I tried to call on the president and deans where chapters were located. M ost o f these visits were pleasant. Usually the D istrict Chief would be with me and I would always ask the chapter President to accompany us. These visits were brief, but during them I tried to point out that Beta Theta Pi had only one full-time paid officer—our Administrative Secretary.

I explained we were a voluntary organization in which our mem­ bers gave their services because they believed in the Fraternity. (f) Once a skeptical lad had a discussion with me when I was visiting his chapter. H e was not persuaded, as was I, that the Fra­ ternity rests upon deep and abiding values. H e said, “ W ell, after all we are talking about ‘only a fraternity.’ ” I assured him his verbiage betrayed the difference in our thinking and attitude. H e thought o f Beta Theta Pi as “only” a Fraternity. I think o f Beta T heta Pi as a Fraternity. T o keep that distinction in mind can make the difference between feeling that after all something doesn’t matter too much or that something does have tremendous meaning in one’s life.

On a warm day I was walking on 16th Street, Northwest, Washington, D. C., I saw coming toward me a large Negro man and his huge female companion. She was unusually obese. She had on a white tee shirt. As I passed her I saw across the front o f the

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shirt in large blue letters, B@n. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I found some comfort in realizing that here was another sign o f the mixed-up society which affects us all.

In our church I officiated at the wedding o f Marcia Adams W ebb to Thomas Lee Buxton, W esleyan ’64.

Some o f the kindest and most stimulating letters I have received have come from officers and members o f sororities.

Looking back it has seemed to me that the most precious days of any college year were those o f the first week and the last week.

During the first few days o f return there was a freshness and new­ ness and a glad reunion after three months absence. T he last days brought the reality our college career was growing shorter. Seniors were leaving and soon we would be leaving. Life moved in cycles and everything had an end. I often thought o f the title o f Tom W olfe’s novel— You Can't Go Home Again. In the lives o f those who have spent happy and almost sacred years on some campus the hour comes when one realizes he can never return again as he did in student days.

H arry A. Overstreet was a remarkable w riter. H e was in the class of ’99 at California. I saw a letter he wrote in the later years of his life in which he revealed how much Beta T heta Pi had given him and done for him in his youth.

Roger Roy Glomstead, Northwestern ’54, and M ary Clinton Gettys were married in our church by me.

Shep told me the hardest moments o f all his trips were those when he went out the front door o f his home. This proved to be the case with me. T here was a feeling o f relief and thankfulness whenever I alighted on a return trip to Washington.

I knew various railroad runs intimately. I looked for familiar sights and developed a feeling o f being part o f the areas through which we passed.

These Memoirs would not be complete without my expression o f gratitude for the understanding and encouragement given me by my wife, Corinne. N ever did she object to the long trips I had to make. She knew my heart was in the w ork I was doing, and, above all, she wanted me to engage in something in which I deeply be­ lieved. She had great interest and confidence in the young men who were active in our Beta chapters.

I went through years when the milk consumption at meals in

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Beta houses was astronomical. M ilk by the gallon was drunk. I often felt it was almost an exercise in quantity rather than a form of nutriment. I was not present at beer drinking.

Lou Torgeson as a D istrict Chief was a cheerful, happy, dedi­ cated, co-worker.

I regretted the death of one o f my Chiefs, Chuck DeVange, in his early years. Chuck was a wonderful fellow and I missed him.

I hope his son will become a Beta.

Thad Byrne’s compilation o f names o f Betas in Who's Who in America was a monumental feat.

N o catalogue has been published in years. I have turned to the 1933 catalogue surely a thousand times.

On Beta trips I carried a small brown bag. Meid Compton begged me to have it put in the Archives. It grew so battered the dignity of the Fraternity required that it be no longer shown in public view.

I have had the advantage o f two separate involvements in Beta Theta Pi. T he first was from 1925 to 1938. T he second from 1950 to 1966. In the first era we were a close-knit Fraternity with not too many aggravating problems. Things ran comfortably in a brotherhood which was still small enough to allow for closeness and intimacy. T he second era was in a large, growing, expanding organization. Pressures from without were commonplace. Yet Beta T heta Pi did not change in essence. Betas, Beta life, Beta loyalty, Beta friendship, Beta love, Beta devotion, were alive. T he last time I saw Horace Lozier he put it better than can I. H e said, “ W hen a Beta gives you the grip, that means something.”

I had a desire to visit every campus where we had a chapter which became defunct. This goal was not realized, but I got to the following places where we had had chapters in the past: Boston University, Butler in Indianapolis, Harvard, Iowa Wesleyan, Oglethorpe in Georgia, Princeton, Randolph-Macon in Virginia, Richmond, Transylvania in Kentucky, United States Naval Academy, V .M .I., V .P.I., W illiam and M ary, and W ooster in Ohio. I have spoken at Boston University, Harvard, V .P.I., W illiam and M ary, and W ooster.

T he general public hears much criticism o f fraternities. Some of it is deserved. In my experience I could not record the praise which I heard from university presidents and deans for what fraternities

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have done constructively on their campus. One college, which did away with fraternities, got a grant o f one hundred and forty thousand dollars to study what to do to fill the vacuum which had been left. Columbia University, which no one would select as a fertile field for fraternities, reversed its position o f indifference toward fraternities and took aggressive steps to promote frater­ nity life and chapters at Columbia. N o one has been able to answer in antifraternity terms why scores o f institutions have begged fraternities and sororities to establish themselves on this campus or that campus across the continent.

A t the beginning o f my term as General Secretary I was in Oxford, Ohio, with Ralph Fey, who was Administrative Secre­ tary. Ralph took me into the basement o f the Administrative Office. H ere were bundles o f archives. There was no other place to keep them except in the basement. A fire would have destroyed everything. Ralph and I began to talk about an addition to our building which would have a fireproof vault and display space.

Nothing in my work for Beta T heta Pi gave me more satisfaction than knowing we had built an addition to our building and now had our archives in safety. Appreciation should go to former Historian John Baker for his work. A rt W ickenden did endless research and culling out of useless material from the vast accumu­ lation gathered in Oxford. Spig Fawcett will be remembered for his meticulous attention to our archives and the arrangement of certain memorabilia in the Museum.

Another source o f rich satisfaction to me was the completion of the John Reily Knox Memorial Library on the second floor of the Administrative Office and the hanging in the building in Oxford of beautiful portraits o f great Beta leaders.

Over the years there has been endless discussion about fra­ ternity public relations. A t Board meetings we talked about a public relations committee, public relations commissioner, public relations editor, etc. One can be sure that there is only one form of good public relations for a fraternity. Let the conduct o f a chapter and its members be exemplary and that will be all the public rela­ tions we need.

There has been feeling on the part o f some that we should have more publicity in news media. It has been my feeling that Beta

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T heta Pi should keep out o f the news. Ours is a social Fraternity.

It is an organization for its members. It is a Brotherhood. It is the possession o f each man who wears its Badge and bears its name.

It is not something for newspapers and magazines. Likewise, Beta songs are for Betas and not for bands, choruses, and the entertain­ ment o f those who are not Betas. I am glad we resisted allowing our songs to be used by commercial organizations.

H ow are District Chiefs appointed? I had a formula. I f a Chief resigned, I asked him to recommend his successor, but I made clear the choice would be with me. I asked local alumni, Beta leaders, and Betas who were interested to make suggestions. One could get a good idea o f men available and the one who at that moment would be most helpful to our Fraternity’s welfare and leadership.

Before the local at Ball State University was granted a Charter I had an interesting visit with the members o f the local and the Muncie, Indiana, alumni. I called on the President o f Ball State University, Dr. John R. Emens, who was the father o f two De Pauw Betas. President Emens became a member o f our local group and was initiated into Beta T heta Pi when the chapter at Ball State was installed.

I attended several annual meetings o f the National Interfratem ity Conference. T he caliber o f the men representing various fraternities impressed me favorably. T here was a spirit among them o f purpose and a desire to see fraternities conduct themselves properly and offer young men positive influence in character building.

There are persons, events, and incidents I no doubt should have mentioned. Let no one be offended. I did not w ork from an out­ line. These thoughts were dictated as they came to me. This is not a history or precise record. It is not in chronological order. It is in the realm o f thinking out loud and “ sez I to myself.” I gave a paper before my clergy club on outstanding ministers I had known and with whom I had been associated. T he title o f the paper was “Blessed Memories o f Blessed M en.” These Beta memoirs are blessed memories o f blessed men and blessed hours.

There are comments I would make about six Beta roles I have filled. I believe that the undergraduate Beta when he is a chapter

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member should serve his university, fellow students, and chapter mates with devotion. H e should try to learn all he can about his chapter and Fraternity. A Beta alumnus should remember he is not an undergraduate. As an older person he should give continuing support to his Fraternity and chapter and not be carried away by unfounded, extravagant praise o f his chapter, or convinced that nothing good had happened in his chapter since his departure from it as an undergraduate. T he D istrict Chief should realize he holds one o f the most important positions in the Fraternity. H e is the workhorse and man in the field. H e is part of the corps which has played a major part in making Beta Theta Pi a great and good Fra­ ternity. T he General Secretary should appreciate the wisdom of those who created this office and defined its duties in the Code.

The General Secretary is the Executive Officer o f the Fraternity, but he is not its owner or boss. H e can through his attitude add to the stature o f this office. General Secretary is the great job o f the Fraternity. President is the great honor o f the Fraternity. The President is not the Executive Officer. H e must try to lead and wisely shape policy. Members look to him for leadership, inspira­ tion, and dignity. T he Beta who has held office and no longer does should be thankful he had the privilege o f serving when he did. O ut o f office he should wait until his advice is sought. H e should realize that when he stepped out o f office others would be running the show. H e should not carp. H e should do everything to help those who are in office. H e had his day—others must have their day.

T he strength o f Beta Theta Pi is that it has brought up from the ranks men to be its leaders. It has refused to believe there were not men who could serve the Fraternity and lead it with distinction.

M y brother, John I. Brooks, St. Lawrence ’20, continued his devotion to Beta Zeta chapter and Beta Theta Pi. His loyalty to and affection for the Fraternity inspired me to be a better Beta.

Spig Faw cett’s kindness in dedicating Marching Along to me was an honor I have appreciated.

It was interesting to see what four years of college life did to young men. I could almost tell who were seniors, juniors, sopho­ mores, and freshmen. O ur Fraternity has done a great deal to polish, groom, and develop young men who entered our chapters.

Over the years my appreciation grew for the girls I met in

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Beta houses. In my college days there were the co-eds we brought to our parties. These co-eds were attractive young women. For decades I met scores o f girls at banquets, dinners, luncheons, and anniversaries o f our Fraternity. T hey added grace and beauty to such events.

Dress at St. Lawrence in my student days was quite prescribed —white flannel trousers as dirty as you could make them, saddle strap shoes (white and tan), light flannel shirt, sweater, and in winter sheepskin coat. A t formal parties white tie and tails were in order. N o tuxedo has compared to full dress—I ’m glad I wore it through college.

Doc Loveless was a District Chief and since he served in that office has faithfully given himself to Denison, his chapter there, Columbus, Ohio Beta affairs, and the General Fraternity.

On stepping across the threshold o f a chapter I could sense when I was in a chapter which was happy.

J o hnny B lair told this story: God gave man a precious substance.

Some men used it to fashion spears, guns, cannons, and shells with which to kill their fellowmen. Some men used it to make plows with which they could turn the sod and make things grow for the service o f man. Some men molded it into a trumpet and from the heights they scaled called men to higher things. Johnny Blair would then tell how we in the Fraternity should strive to go higher.

In the old St. Lawrence Beta house we invited members o f the faculty and town alumni to Sunday dinner. On one o f these oc­ casions we had Professor Charles K. Gaines, St. Lawrence 1876, and Frank N . Cleaveland, St. Lawrence 1877. Professor Gaines wore a derby and Frank Cleaveland, who was Secretary o f the University, a huge felt hat. W hile the meal was in progress Van Horne Gledhill, who was a class ahead o f me, and I borrowed the hats. On the back porch of the house we had our picture taken.

Gledhill had on the derby and 1 had on the felt hat which came down over my ears and eyebrows. I kept the snapshot.

In December 1966 I went to N ew Orleans, Louisiana. T he pur­ pose of the trip was to receive the National Interfraternity Con­ ference Gold Medal Award for 1966. I arrived the morning of December 1. I was met by Ron Helman, former District Chief

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Jim Ewin, and District Chief John Jackson. Ron and I were housed in the Governor House Motel. T he following morning the central portion o f the motel collapsed. Ron and I had a narrow escape.

There were no casualties. T he chief o f the Fire Department told me that the greatest miracle he had seen was that everyone had gotten out o f the building alive. A t the Banquet on December 2, I received from Bob Krovitz, President o f the N IC the Gold Medal Award. Nothing in life has carried with it much greater honor for me. It made me very humble to receive it. I was thankful this honor could also come to Beta T heta Pi and that present that night were President Francis M . Rich, former Vice President Pete Greiner, Ron Helman, and a score o f Beta alumni and undergraduates.

I close these Memoirs recalling the high-water marks o f my Beta experience—the morning in my freshman year when I was pledged, the night I was initiated, nine years as Chief, ten years as General Secretary, six years as President, the Convention at which I was President, thirty-one Conventions I attended, the 125th Anniversary at Miami, the Banquet at the 127th General Conven­ tion at which I was presented with the book o f “H eartfelt T rib ­ utes.”

No member o f Beta T heta Pi loved it more than did I, received more from it than did I, or tried to give it more than did I. James T aft Hatfield, Northwestern ’83, said it all for me—0 Beta, thou art ever glorious Thy bonds are sweet thy servicejoy.

The brightness of thy radiant image Years shall not dim or time destroy.

Now, now to thee we bring our praises While we around thy altar bow.

Our loyal trust, our hearts devotion, Our love and faith we pledge thee now.

☆ ☆

☆

Inter Fratres The late Columbus S. Barber, West Virginia 1920, while editor o f The Beta Theta Vi in 1951, asked Seth Brooks to write a one-page article fo r each issue to be called “Inter Fratres.” These articles on a great variety o f subjects became a popular feature o f the magazine. They were widely quoted and several brought the writer a heavy mail response.

The (me which brought D r. Brooks the greatest honor was the one titled “Freedom W ith ” and which w on fo r him the George Washington M edal awarded by the Freedoms Foundation in 1967.

The editor has selected an assortment o f the Inter Fratres articles which appeared between 1951 and 1967, the first being the one which brought him the George Washington Medal.

Freedom W ith REEDOM is the cry and demand which rings throughout the world. Everybody wants freedom. It is a passionate desire for men to be free/ro w all kinds o f real and imaginary bonds. Some men know it is not just freedom from which humanity needs, but freedom for. W e ought to be free for service to mankind, our Nation, our home, our church, and those things which build society and character.

If freedom is coupled with being free from and being free for, it cannot exist long without freedom with. Freedom was born a twin.

Just as Liberty was born a twin with eternal vigilance, freedom was born a twin and history knows freedom cannot long exist without its twin.

Freedom was born a twin with responsibility. A free nation can survive only if free people accept responsibility to maintain laws, whether they like them or not, until such laws are changed by legal processes coming through a free democratic electorate. There is a responsibility to maintain order and not create disorder, and there is responsibility to preserve civil peace because all people live within a civil structure. Education as it prompts freedom can create anarchy unless those it educates show responsibility in the realms o f both ideas and actions.

Freedom was born a twin with discipline. T he self-disciplined person is the free person. The disciplined person understands the bounds and limits in which he can move for his own good and for the good o f all others. Freedom is the first casualty o f undis­ ciplined persons and society. Shouters, rioters, libertines, and unthinking passionate fools without discipline wreck and ruin.

Freedom was born a twin with common sense. Common sense dictates that persons do not go too far. It is restraint in making impossible demands and always being aggrieved, injured, and the object o f unfair treatment. T he trouble with all our dreams of Utopia is that throughout history there have never been enough people who would voluntarily pay the rent to live in Utopia. Com­ mon sense is awareness o f the blessings we have received through

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freedom, and the desire, through reasonable means, to extend these blessings to all others. Common sense tells one that freedom must be deserved, earned, and maintained through good, hard, honest effort.

Freedom was born a twin with gentleness. T he revolutionary forces o f mankind have not understood this. T hey overlook the fact that violence breeds violence. Violence destroys. Violence is self-defeating. Freedom is not established through punitive meth­ ods. Freedom is not rushed roughshod into being. It is extended, spread and established through leaders and ordinary persons who have the patience and kindness to show gentleness.

Freedom was born a twin with purpose. W hat do we want freedom for? W hat will we do with our freedom? T he purpose of freedom is to grant all persons movement, growth, latitude, a chance for development and reach. T he purpose o f freedom is to give persons room to find the fullest and most complete form o f existence for them. Freedom for the person has the purpose of making that person free for the largest opportunity in the largest spheres o f dedication. T he purpose o f freedom is to give man freedom for his body, mind and soul, but at the same time to bind him to those services, duties and toils into which the free man knows he must enter.

T he world today is disordered and disturbed. These are sad and difficult times. As Carlyle said in his day. “This is a time o f de­ spair, but a time o f hope.” W e can say that in our commitment to freedom we believe it was bom a twin. There must be freedom with responsibility. There must be freedom with discipline. There must be freedom with common sense. There must be freedom with gentleness. There must be freedom with purpose.

February 1966

Giving o f S elf A N EXPRESSION well known in Beta’s Broad Domain is, “devotion to the cultivation of the intellect.” I have often felt in hearing and reading these words that their first impression o f im­ portance came in reverse order. T he ear and eye seem to catch “ intellect” first, “ cultivation” second and “devotion” third. A t least so it has often struck me. But it is on the word “devotion” I ponder more often than I do on the other two.

Devotion has many meanings which a dictionary will supply.

However, I think o f devotion as “ the surrender o f self to some person or thing.” Hence, “devotion to the cultivation o f the in­ tellect” is to surrender ourself to cultivating intellectual gifts and powers.

Devotion as “ the surrender o f self to some person or thing” has profound meaning for a real Beta. It is the giving o f self to the ideals o f our Fraternity.

T o build friendship and brotherhood men must give o f the loyalty, fidelity, helpfulness and steadfastness which are in them.

Over more than a century Beta T heta Pi has grown in the affec­ tions o f legions o f its members. Its life as an association has deep­ ened in meaning and gained in influence for good because so many have devotedly served it. T he long illustrious line o f servants to the ideals o f the Fraternity has built up a treasury o f Beta spirit and tradition.

W herever we have outstanding chapters there is the record of those who as undergraduates and then as alumni have given them­ selves to making a chapter excel. W ithout devotion to the high standards which Beta has always held we cannot have great chap­ ters.

It has been my privilege over many years to know the leaders of our Fraternity and many chapters and undergraduates. I can testify that the devotion o f individual Betas has made our Fraternity what it is.

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our undergraduates. I know that Beta T heta Pi has those who have surrendered themselves to our ideals and purposes. O ur ideals and purposes are right and eternal. W ith devotion to them we cannot fail, for our devotion means we give ourselves to the values which must prevail as long as men have high goals and noble purposes.

January 1952

Looking Ahead A C C O R D IN G to our procedure at a General Convention, it is L x . the duty o f the General Secretary to open and close the Con­ vention. T he Ritual says that for the closing exercises the General Secretary will make a brief address, summoning the Chapters to enter upon the w ork o f the year ahead with enthusiasm and zeal.

W hen the 112th General Convention at Old Point Comfort came to its close I made, as the final appeal, a suggestion that we look to the future. On the Archives Building in Washington, I reminded the Delegates, there is the quotation, “T he past is pro­ logue.” T he 112 years o f the life o f our Fraternity is now the prologue to this year and the years ahead.

One thing that impressed me deeply and poignantly at the Con­ vention was how many o f the men I had begun my Beta work with were no longer in the active leadership o f the Fraternity. T he moral is simple. Every great organization needs an infusion o f new blood and younger men must take the torch from older hands. W e have in our Fraternity today, in our chapters, men who will some day be District Chiefs, General Officers and inspiring leaders. In Beta Theta Pi no one seeks an office, rather the office seeks him.

Nevertheless, I would urge every undergraduate to realize that in time he must carry the burden and the leadership o f Beta T heta Pi. Undergraduates and recent graduates should be preparing them­ selves to render service to the Fraternity when the calls come.

It was said o f Napoleon, “H e had so much future in his mind.”

There must be future in the minds o f our present-day leaders. The world is in such rapid transition that we know not what a day may bring forth. T he American educational system is not static. One of the real powers o f our Fraternity in the past has been its ability to map its course wisely for the future.

A friend of mine told me a story o f a group o f men who became lost on a desert. Mirage after mirage appeared before them. They followed those mirages until finally reaching safety. M y friend pointed out that a mirage is caused by certain light conditions but it is the projection o f something which exists beyond the horizon.

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H e wisely said, “Those men on the desert were saved by feeling the pull o f the beyond!�

Let us feel the pull o f the beyond! Let every Beta be thinking sanely and soberly about the future o f the Fraternity. Let us be wise enough to have plan and purpose in where we are going. Let those o f us who have served the Fraternity many years realize that in the colleges today are the Betas who must take up our work.

L et us give them a solid foundation and let us have faith that they in their time shall build upon it and ever feel the pull o f the beyond.

November 1951

Silver Grays V ER the years I have heard many heart-warming and inspir­ ing Beta talks. In fact, some o f the best talks I have ever heard were given by alumni in my chapter house, in my under­ graduate days. I have heard superlative addresses at Beta dinners and Beta Conventions. Beta T heta Pi has never lacked men who could put the Beta story into words. It is not hard to talk about Beta because the stories about Betas and Beta experiences are inexhaustible. It would take a whole library to contain the stories Betas could tell about things which happened to them only because they had been initiated into Beta T heta Pi. These stories have to do with men who were leaders in the Fraternity and leaders in education, government, science, business and the church. Some of the stories are recollections o f days long ago. Others have to do with Beta ideals, Beta friendships, Beta history and Beta lore. Still others relate to the Beta Badge, the Beta Songs, the Beta Grip, the Beta Stars and the Beta Dragon.

Strange to relate, there is an important part o f the Beta story which is seldom told. It is the way undergraduate Betas feel about those Betas who are ever moving farther away from their own Commencement. It is the way Betas no longer in college feel about the active Betas. I have never known a Beta chapter which wasn’t thrilled and honored to have alumni return. I have never known a real Beta alumnus who wasn’t vitally interested in “ what the boys in the chapter today” are doing. H ere is one o f the strongest links in Beta T heta Pi—active and alumnus—the boys in the chapter and the silver grays. Much o f our strength is the vital interest between a college generation and the generation which went before. In our case it is an interest cemented and kept fresh through the Beta story which is ever being written. Each year another page is added.

Those o f the present want to know the earlier chapters. Those long out o f college want to read the latest edition.

It may be that the silver gray looks back to his chapter house and in the boys o f today sees his youth again. It may be that the

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boys in the chapter see in older Betas something o f the kind of mature men they want to be. “So from cherished sire to son, the links of a bond fraternal run.

April 1952

Life Moves On A R T W IC K E N D E N has done such an inspiring piece o f work Z x with his meditations, which appear in this Magazine, I have hesitated before writing this article. A rt will forgive me this once, if I turn to The Acts for the theme o f my message.

You may remember that in the 21st chapter, the 16th verse of The Acts, one reads, “ one Mnason, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.” T h at is all we are told about Mnason, but it is enough to convey many thoughts.

Mnason was now an old man. H e had started many years before with the new Faith. H e had stood by it, been loyal and devoted to it, and had lived it. W e see him in his late years as a tried and trusted member o f the association and fellowship o f Christians.

Knowing as little as we do about Mnason, this terse reference to him gives us the feeling that here was one o f “ the faithfuls” o f the brotherhood.

Beta T heta Pi is an undergraduate college Fraternity. T he active Betas and the active Chapters are the life blood. Alumni Associa­ tions are important. Conventions are enriched by alumni atten­ dance. T he General Officers are all men out o f college, who devote time to the Fraternity. But our emphasis is always centered on undergraduate Chapter performance and excellency. Beta Theta Pi has as a goal— “ to be the best college Fraternity in existence today.” That, o f course, means that on the 96 campuses where we stand we seek to be the recognized leaders.

The story, however, does not end there. Four swift years and the undergraduate passes from that status to alumnus. For 113 years this process o f moving from active to alumnus has gone on.

One of the shocks o f life is how quickly one’s 10th— 15th— 20th reunion arrives. So the active soon joins the ranks o f those moving away from college days.

Mnason reminds me o f two most important facts in the history of Beta Theta P i: First, when it is said, “H e’s a grand old Beta” we express much about some wearer o f our Badge. H e was initiated long ago. He 121

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never forgot his college fraternity days. He stood by and remained faithful over the years. H e never lost his sense of what Beta T heta Pi meant to him and to thousands o f other Betas. H e grew older in years but the Diamond’s light shone as bright as it did in days of yore. H e still saw the lustre of the stars. “H e was once a Beta, always a Beta, everywhere a Beta.”

Second, life moves on. T he undergraduate Betas o f today stand where Mnason did in his youth. I f they love the Brotherhood and continue through the years to keep strong their Beta Spirit, the years shall strengthen and increase their devotion. T hey shall be­ come like Mnason, who in later years was looked upon with con­ fidence and affection by the younger disciples.

If my G reek is not too faulty, Mnason comes from the root “mindful.” Let us be “mindful” o f him who is “ a grand old Beta.”

Let us be such loyal Betas that these words o f brotherly affection may in our later years be spoken o f us.

June 1952

Get into the Game!

M IDDLE-AGED friend told me o f an experience he had when . he was about twelve years old. His father had taken him and his older brother one Sunday afternoon to one o f the historic New York City churches, for the Massing of the Colors. W ith them was an intimate friend of his father’s. This friend had been born in New York o f German immigrant parents. H e had grown up in one o f the German neighborhoods and had been forced to go to work on completing grammar school. T he ending o f formal education had only spurred him on to read and study, widely and deeply. H e be­ came a “ self educated man” in the best sense o f the term. M y friend stated that he would always remember this man as one o f the most cultured, courteous and best read persons he had known.

As they stood in the church that Sunday the Processional moved up the center aisle. First came the choir, then the flags and color guard and finally, the clergy in academic gowns and hoods. It was then that this man turned to my friend and his brothers and said, “Boys, get into the game." M y friend then did not know what an academic gown and hood meant or symbolized. H e did however, understand that a man who had educated himself was telling him to get into the arena o f higher education.

It is with deep humility I speak o f higher education, for nothing can be more offensive than an educated snob. Nevertheless, I venture to say to our undergraduate Betas, “Boys, get into the gam er Learn the meaning, the value and worth o f higher educa­ tion. G et into the game and accept the duties and responsibilities o f the educated man. Accept the rules, penalties and victories.

Above all, realize that one must keep himself intellectually fit just as the athlete keeps himself physically fit, if he stays in the game.

“Boys, get into the game,” has deep meaning in relation to Beta Theta Pi. Those who have loved and served our Fraternity were all men who got into the game. If one wonders why some men became such enthusiastic Betas and received from it the richest satisfactions, it is because these men got into the game. Indeed, our Fraternity might be likened to a very inspiring game. But in our

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game there is room on the team for every Beta. Those who have stood by the Fraternity in its trials and triumphs would say to the Betas coming after them— “Boys, get into the game.”

For this Rushing Issue o f our magazine the words, “Boys, get into the game” are significant. Each chapter should realize its new opportunity and its old responsibility to get the right men into the Beta game. T he boy who is being rushed should be made to feel that he is being considered for membership in one o f the most honorable and historic College Fraternities. H e can never grasp in advance the full meaning o f what this experience can mean to him but he can be told o f those men who attained the highest posi­ tions in life but always held their membership in Beta T heta Pi as one o f the rarest and highest honors which had ever come to them.

October 1952

What Are We? N E o f the common practices for many fraternity men is to claim greatness “ by association.” Hence, one may hear, “ O ur Fraternity has forty judges, thirty college presidents, ninety great scientists, twelve explorers, six senators, seven major league ball players, thirteen movie actors and sixteen eminent authors.”

T o be sure, a fraternity wants its members to excel and achieve usefulness. N o one admires the man who doesn’t care whether he attains anything. A fraternity can take justifiable pride in its mem­ bers who reach pinnacles o f success. N o one looks up to failures.

It is good for undergraduates to know that former or earlier chap­ ter members have won recognition. It may be good rushing tech­ nique (although I wonder) to tell rushees, “ W e have more prom­ inent men in American and Canadian business than any other fraternity.”

Let there be no mistake that high place in government, business, science and the professions is to be admired and, if possible, emulated. Phi Beta Kappa and public honors are all most commend­ able.

Giving due recognition to achievement and success, we need to turn our thought to something else.

T h at something else is—are we a Fraternity—a real Brother­ hood? Do we associate ourselves as Brothers? Have we real Fra­ ternal ties? Do we have Ideals and uphold them? Does the man who wears our Badge think o f himself as a member o f a Fraternity great and good?

And again, do we respect men for their worth and character?

A re we concerned for every member? Do we know that any man who serves faithfully, serves well? Are we helping one another to carry life’s burdens? Yes, are we considerate o f all men in our brotherhood?

W e want men to excel in the w orthy and honorable pursuits of life. W e want men to bring credit and, if possible, fame to their country, college, profession and name. However, we want all men who are Betas and who are invited to become Betas to feel that

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above all they are brothers. For in a brotherhood we help one another and experience what life is meant to be when each helps all and all help each.

T he ultimate appeal o f Beta Theta Pi should be that it is an as­ sociation in which brothers are brothers for life.

December 1952

Heritage and Destiny W O words constantly come to mind when I think o f Beta Theta Pi. These two words are heritage and destiny. The terms have in them a sense o f historical movement. Heritage is the accumulated store o f achievement, history and attainment built in the past and given as a legacy to the present. Destiny is that to­ ward which persons and things move in terms o f their fortune or fate. Although destiny often connotes the propelling power of a predetermining agency, it also in the historical sense means that end which a person or thing is rightly meant to fill.

In speaking of the American heritage one means the blessings he receives as a birthright because o f the kind o f legacy his American forebears bequeathed. In speaking of America’s destiny one means the fulfillment o f the role the American society is historically meant to play.

Reduce Beta T heta Pi to its simplest terms. Define it as a Greek letter college fraternity which is organized around obligations voluntarily taken to certain enduring moral principles and spiritual ideals. T he definition may be simple but the inherent values in the definition are the profound things o f human existence.

T he fraternal values we have today are our heritage. T hey have been cherished and passed on for over a century. T hey were up­ held, supported, avowed and lived by those who went before us.

T hey have been handed down in our Ritual. T hey have been enunciated in the greatest addresses made by our speakers. They were manifest in our long line of exemplars. So we of the present have a heritage. It is what our Fraternity in the past built into a body o f tradition, performance and purpose and has given to us as its testament.

T he Fraternity also has a destiny. It is the part we are meant to play on the campus, in the Chapter house, in our Alumni Associa­ tions and in the world. Commitment to what is our rightful destiny excludes anything unbecoming our high and noble purposes. De­ votion to our destiny means that we will strive to see that we move toward the accomplishment o f our mission. No one can honestly

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question the value o f an association like ours, if it carries out those ends for which it was created. T hey are ends which spell better intellects, lasting friendships, mutual assistance and more moral and useful men.

W e have a great heritage. T h at has been established and is ours by inheritance. T he question for us o f the present is, will we give ourselves to the fulfillment o f our destiny as a great and good Fra­ ternity.

T he Beta heritage and the Beta destiny go hand in hand.

February 1953

A 1953 View Dear Columbus:* A S T H E deadline for another “ Inter Fratres” nears, I am not L x . going to write one. V ariety may not be the only spice o f life but it is a relief. Through you, let me tell our Beta readers a little about the Fraternity as I look at it on January 26, 1953.

I would say there are about 45,000 Betas on this planet this winter afternoon. O f this number about 4,500 are undergraduates.

Each year we initiate about 1,900 men. O ur magazine is mailed, roughly speaking, to 30,000 Betas per issue.

W e are in 97 o f the finest institutions o f higher learning in the United States and Canada. W e are exceedingly well housed. Our new Chapter (W estern Ontario) has just acquired its own house.

Some o f our chapters need a house. Some need additions and repairs to their present house, but let me say that I marvel at the roofs and walls which surround undergraduate Betas.

Betas are campus leaders. W e are first nationally in scholarship and we hold more than our share o f campus honors. O f our 97 Chapters there are five who, like Nicodemus, need to be “ born again.” T en others could take some vitamins. But generally speak­ ing our strength and health are such that the doctor would starve to death if he depended on us for his income.

W e have the Oxford Office running in perfect synchronization with undergraduates and alumni. H ere credit is due Ralph Fey and his staff.

T he Board o f Trustees is united, harmonious, dedicated, and progressive.

Finances are sound but we cannot go hog wild in spending.

Plans for the Pasadena Convention are shaping up beautifully.

I predict one o f our greatest Conventions in California in Septem­ ber.

I was a Chief in the late ’20s and ’30s. Some o f us who served then have lost all modesty and say, “T hat was the greatest group * Colum bus S. B arb er,W est V irginia ’20, E ditor. The Beta Theta Pi 1951-1955.

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o f Chiefs we ever had.” N ow I have to change m y position for the present group of Chiefs is as good as I could ever imagine being brought together.

I have been to 73 chapters as General Secretary. I’m off to Texas and ahead o f me are the Brown Initiation, the Ohio W esley­ an Centennial and visits to Nebraska and the Iowa Chapters.

H ow pleasantly I look back upon a day at W & J and the fine Betas I met there. From W & J, I went to Bethany where I saw the new house and our strong Beta band. Carnegie Tech deserves much credit for a valiant battle in a city chapter. I shall long re­ member the afternoon at the lovely Washington (St. Louis) House. Days at Colorado College, Colorado U. and Colorado Mines brought me into the company o f three powerful chapters.

T he Denver Chapter and the Special Alumni Committee deserve much praise for remarkable progress and advancement. Trips to Columbia and Stevens gave me encouragement as these two chap­ ters have shown real achievement.

W e should not forget the work done by Lee W ebber with chap­ ter finances; Joe Romoda’s work as Scholarship Commissioner; Karl Fischer’s with the Centennial Chapters and John Baker’s with the Archives. W e should also remember the expert work o f our Fund Trustees.

Columbus, I could write on for hours but you didn’t ask for a novel. W hich reminds me, H erb Smith has revised Son of the Stars and Paul Van Riper has gotten out a new Pledge Training Pro­ cedure Manual. Isn’t it time someone wrote another Beta Story?

I wish someone would pick up where Shep left off and tell of those great Betas since we began our second century. The Beta Story never ends—so long to you. I ’m glad I’m a Beta!

April 1953

They Are Important Too N T H E capacity of General Secretary I have now made 75 visits to Chapters. The common viewpoint about Chapter Visitations rests pretty largely on the routine matters. Has the chapter its Charter, Rituals, Roll Book, etc.? W h at about Scholar­ ship, Finances, Rushing, Pledging, Initiation Ceremony? H ow is the condition o f the house? Are Alumni relationships good?

These are all very important, but there are certain things rarely absent in a real Chapter o f our Fraternity.

Appreciation and gratitude are present. T he chapter members appreciate being Betas. T hey appreciate their chapter home, alumni support, their opportunity to be part o f an honorable As­ sociation o f college men.

Affection can be felt. T he chapter members have an affection for their college, their house, their Chapter Hall. T he men are de­ voted to one another and to common aims and goals.

Loyalty plays a large part. In strong chapters the members are loyal to their college, to the whole Fraternity and to one another.

Loyalty is a cement which binds the individual members together into a unified whole.

Ideals are believed in. There are the ideals o f intellectual attain­ ment, excellence o f performance, right conduct and high purpose.

O ur best chapters exude a faith that they can attain high places through the consecration o f each member to what matters most in undergraduate life.

Fellowship is sensed. There is a group spirit. Men realize they are associated in a corporate endeavor and enterprise. A first rate chapter is a community with fellowship lifting it to a plane o f good companionship.

A high opinion o f the objects and benefits o f fraternal life is held by the individuals who make up a real chapter. There is the im­ plicit conviction that this is w orthy and calls out the best that is in us.

Character gives refinement. T he gross things are recognized as

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gross. There is an artistic touch in the way men conduct the affairs of their common undertaking.

Conduct is a mark o f an outstanding chapter. It is, o f course, right conduct. Such chapters have nothing to hide. T heir behavior is out in the open where all may see it, for there is nothing to be kept under cover.

Wisdom is there too. T h at is the right judgment as to the relative value o f things. T he wise chapter knows it is a part of a long tradi­ tion. It separates the wheat from the chaff. It believes in the wis­ dom which our forebears showed in the ends they picked as the ones to merit continued devotion.

Reverence lives through the sense o f things pure and undefiled.

It is not priggishness. It is the historic sense that in life above the secular are things sacred because o f their own inherent worth and purity.

In a real Beta Chapter there are these things not often mentioned.

The degree to which they exist and are lived determines the mark o f where a chapter stands in the respect and regard others are caused to admit rightly belong to it.

M ay 1953

Beta Ties H E St. Lawrence Chapter has a very fine custom. Each year during spring vacation a dinner is held in N ew York C ity for alumni and chapter members, home for the holiday. This year the dinner was held on M arch 31 in the W illiams Club and I had the pleasure o f being the speaker.

One thing I missed was more Betas o f my college generation but I guess they have been so successful in life that Florida and other lands o f sun had called them away.

I was impressed by certain facets o f the evening that apply in general to us as Betas.

Betas, regardless o f age, are always glad to get together and to feel again the common bond o f Fraternity and Chapter.

Certain loyal alumni are always present. T heir continuing inter­ est and devotion never wane.

T he active members are proud o f their Chapter and want the alumni to know that the old Chapter is in there competing for campus honors.

Those members we often wonder about and have not seen for years are still missing from the latest gathering.

But beyond the pleasure o f the evening, next day as my train sped back to Washington many thoughts kept crowding my mind.

I thought o f a chapter much as I would o f a great w ater wheel.

T he youth flows into the chapter and during four years is the propelling power. Then, like the water, it flows out into the stream o f alumni.

W hen did I first hear o f Beta T heta Pi? W h y did I want to be a Beta? W hy did they pledge me? W here was I when I received my pledge button? H ow did I feel when I was initiated? W h at kind o f a Beta have I been across the years?

T he Beta experience is a varied one. It runs through the years.

It is looking back and seeing ourself as a youth coming up the road. It is looking forward and knowing that although it isn’t any fun to get old, it is blessed to have the Beta ties that still bind us to the boys o f our day.

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A ll Are Outposts LETTER came to me recently saying, “ W e hope you’ll visit our Chapter for we are an outpost.” T he w riter’s state­ ment can be understood. H ere was a chapter which geographically was far away from the center of our Broad Domain. One sensed a feeling of being “way off here,” or isolation.

There are no outposts in one sense. Each chapter is joined to the other chapters in its District and to the 97 other chapters. Each District is joined to the other 24. N o Beta is really alone. He is part o f a chapter and part o f the entire Fraternity.

On second thought, yes, each chapter is in a different sense an outpost. It is the representative o f the Fraternity on its own cam­ pus where it stands on its own merit. It is an outpost o f all the other chapters, but in that it has a commonalty with all chapters (for each is an outpost).

T he outpost idea has to be looked at again. Travel through our 97 chapters and what strikes one? T heir difference and their alikeness. Each has its own history, traditions and membership. Each also has the same letters B 0 II. Each has the same Ritual, Badge, songs, Magazine, grip and password.

W e have diversity among unity. There are the boys o f Maine, Florida, British Columbia, Texas, and Miami. There is also the oneness Beta T heta Pi gives.

T he amazing thing about the Beta picture is that an idea could spread to 97 different campuses and retain its own uniqueness.

T he richness o f our experience is the different contributions our various chapters make.

T he opponents o f Fraternities never grasp the unifying principle of a far-flung association o f college men. T hey do not understand how thousands o f men over more than a century have found a larger experience through fraternal ties and bonds.

Miami, our Alpha Chapter, was the first outpost of Beta Theta Pi. T hat was in 1839. T he Beta idea was carried to Cincinnati, which became the new outpost. In 1952 when we installed the

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W estern Ontario Chapter that became our latest outpost. So the history runs.

W e would do well to think o f each chapter as an outpost, but as a part o f the whole. Each Beta would be wise to think o f his life as an outpost o f our ideals, but related to the entire membership.

There are no outpost chapters as such. Paradoxically, all chap­ ters are outposts. T o grasp that in terms o f standing out front is to add progressive leadership and creativity to Beta Theta Pi. October 1953

Convention Thoughts H E w riter has been attending Beta Conventions for many years. T he first was at the close o f his Freshman year; now the number o f Conventions attended is just short o f twenty.

Every Beta Convention brings new experiences. W hat a plea­ sure it is to meet new personalities and always to have things hap­ pen which have never happened before.

T he 114th General Convention produced for me an experience that was unique and deeply gratifying.

Friday night after the close o f the Convention, I think almost all the undergraduates came to me, gave me their hand and ex­ pressed what the Convention had meant to them.

I spoke to A. J. about this and he said he had had the same expe­ rience and that his hand fairly ached.

T he pleasing thing is that the undergraduates felt close enough to us to come and call us by name and say a personal word.

Beyond this, they all seemed so satisfied and elated by the Con­ vention. It evidently had meant a very great deal to them. They had both felt and caught something. N ever have I seen such fine relationships as existed between the younger and older men.

There was the feeling in my mind that going back to our chap­ ters was a zealous and inspired group o f young men. I f the Con­ vention meant all the Delegates said it did, we will have great leadership in our chapters. A new spirit o f determination to build better Beta Chapters was crystal clear.

T he 114th General Convention cost a great deal o f effort and money. However, I look upon it as one o f the finest investments we could make. Something was planted in the lives o f young men.

Beta became a living force. N ew friendships were made. Both the past and the future were caught within our gaze.

I would that every Beta could have been present and have had the thrill that came to me from Betas young and old from through­ out our Broad Domain.

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True Measurement N O N E of my Beta trips a Beta alumnus, who is President of a large coal company, invited me to see the city he proudly calls his home. T he tour was extensive and at one point we came to the electric plant which supplied light and power for the entire city. It happened that the coal for the plant came from this Beta’s company and that he was well acquainted with those who operated the plant. H e felt we should stop and that I should see the amazing and intricate machinery and mechanisms, which produced light and power.

M y knowledge o f machinery, boilers, electricity, and industrial operations is very deficient. However, one o f the engineers showed me a gauge which indicated exactly how the entire plant was per­ forming.

I left with not much more grasp o f running an electric power plant—but the gauge has lingered on in my memory.

T he wandering of my mind many days later brought the thought there might be value in having a gauge on a Beta chapter to indicate its performance. O f course no such gauge has been invented but wouldn’t it be simple if one could look at a gauge on a given chap­ ter and know what was happening in the chapter’s operation? The gauge might be read to determine many things. Is the chapter working at top efficiency? Does the Ritual mean anything to the initiates? A re chapter meetings o f value? Is the chapter a real brotherhood? Is pledge training being well conducted? Are chapter officers doing their job? Is scholarship being properly emphasized?

Are alumni relations as good as they can be? Have the members o f the chapter caught the Beta spirit? H ow does the chapter stand among its competitors on the campus?

It is undoubtedly best that a Beta chapter never be reduced to mechanical operations and scientific readings o f gauges and meters.

Nevertheless, there is a measurement but it is within the individual Beta and within the corporate body o f the chapter.

This measurement is in terms o f the light and power Beta T heta Pi generates in a man’s life and in a group o f undergraduates. No

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gauge could ever tell what Beta meant to Robb, Cal Hanna, Sisson, Shepardson, and a host o f others. N o gauge has been de­ vised to record the performance of our consistently great chapters.

Outward results and achievements are seen but no eye searches out the invisible power within which makes power charged Betas and Beta chapters.

The true measurement of Beta T heta Pi, a chapter or a Beta is what they produce in terms o f things excellent in the sight o f all men.

O ur goal is nothing less than every chapter excelling in those departments o f chapter life which make a chapter recognized as fulfilling the Beta ideal.

February 1954

First Firm Moorings LETTER from Otho E. Lane, Miami ’01, contained a thought I cannot forget. H e spoke of “ a return to the first firm moor­ ings o f the Founders o f our Fraternity.”

In this age o f bigness, speed, and activistic patterns the word “ return” is shunned by many who worship the gods o f change and newness.

Personally, I differentiate between what is popularly referred to as progress and what 1 think is the true picture. Much that is called progress isn’t progress at all, whereas running through the history o f the race are columns o f progress. I am reminded of the answer o f H enry Thoreau when asked if he didn’t think the railroad (just come to Massachusetts) was a wonderful thing. “ I don’t know,” he said, “ I ’ll have to wait and see whether persons who ride on railroads are better than persons who ride in stage coaches.” W e can have improved means to an unimproved end.

Jefferson once said, “ If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be.” If our Fraternity expects to cut loose from its first firm moorings and fulfill its pur­ pose, it expects what never was and never will be.

But what was the first firm mooring o f our Fraternity? I believe it was a group o f men associated together because they had affec­ tion for each other and in that affection could help each other to grow mentally, morally and spiritually.

Such a mooring is a firm one to tie to. Daniel W ebster spoke of the tossed mariner after the storm on the first sight o f the sun tak­ ing his bearing. W ebster used the figure in a call for a return to first principles o f our Government.

Beta Theta Pi cannot hope to have great meaning to its members unless they know what the first firm moorings were. Intramural sports, extra-curricular activities, parties, week-ends, bigger houses, new recreation rooms are all right! Behind these, mutual aid and assistance, the cultivation o f the intellect, true and lasting friendships, spiritual ideals, moral behavior, character and high purpose, are the reasons why we exist.

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Believe these moorings are nonexistent or do not await our re­ turn and we become but another vessel drifting we know not where or why.

April 1954

Great Satisfaction A T T H E outset I ask the reader of this Inter Fratres to forgive L \ . me if I sound exceedingly personal. I venture to do so with the hope that what I am to relate will convey to the reader a real Beta experience and a fraternal lesson. M y sermon topic for my 11 o’clock service on February 14 was “T he Remedial Power of Satisfactions.” It was my intention to attempt to show that persons who have the best chance o f keeping their mental equilibrium and emotional balance are persons who have found satisfactions. I had many illustrations in terms o f satisfactions we can find within ourself, in other persons, in the daily routine and in the world about us.

I am happy to say that there has hardly ever been a time when there have not been Betas in my congregation. Some o f these are regular members o f my congregation and others are Betas who have come to worship in my church while they have been on a trip to Washington. Nothing in my experience has thrilled me more than the Beta boys who have come in on Sunday from Quantico, Fort Belvoir, and Fort Meade to attend church and make them­ selves known to me.

On the 14th o f February, as I stood at the close o f the service greeting the congregation, there came up to me a very large man.

H e was accompanied by his wife and a gentleman friend. H e said, “ I have been a Beta for fifty years. W e were in W ashington and I wanted to attend your service.” There followed this remark which I shall not forget— “As I listened to your sermon all I could think o f was the satisfactions you must find in working with the young Betas o f today.” I replied, “ It is true, but from the moment o f my initiation Beta T heta Pi has been one o f the greatest satisfactions o f my life.” T o which my Beta Brother replied, “ I can say the same thing.” I am referring in this story to George B. McKibbin o f the old Iowa W esleyan Chapter. Brother McKibbin, if I am correct, was o f the class of ’09. H e is a distinguished Chicago lawyer and has been head of the great YM CA o f that city. H e is a man o f large achievement and a devoted public servant.

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T o those who read this Inter Fratres may I say that there passed between Brother McKibbin and me what I think is the height of our experience in the Fraternity. I simply mean the realization that to wear the Badge and bear the name o f Beta Theta Pi has been one o f life’s great satisfactions.

I f anyone seeks the reason for the power o f our Fraternity, he can find it often in men who have come from chapters which are now defunct. I think, for example, o f Clarence Campbell of the old Boston University Chapter, o f Charlie Moderwell and Ray Irvin o f the old W ooster Chapter and George McKibbin o f the old Iowa W esleyan Chapter, and I could mention many, many more.

These men, although their chapters cease to be, never fail to find the continuing satisfaction o f the Fraternity. T o undergraduates I would say such men can hand you a valuable key.

M ay 1954

Right to Associate W AS the luncheon guest o f the President o f a large publishing company. M y host was a graduate o f a famous college which does not allow fraternities. Over the dessert my host asked me what I had been doing. I made a passing reference to a trip which I had made for our Fraternity. I was rocked back when with a show o f wounded feelings he said, “ I can’t see how you can be associated with anything as undemocratic as fraternities.” Being a guest I dropped the m atter but I did recall that my host lived in an exclu­ sive community, sent his children to private schools and headed a very tight corporation.

A little later a young man who attends a college where 90 per cent o f the students are in fraternities but does not belong to one said to me, “ On the subject o f fraternities is where you and I part company.”

Antifraternity feeling is strong in many quarters. I grant persons o f this persuasion the right to hold it but I can’t discover that they grant me the democratic privilege o f believing in fraternities. The reasons for antifraternity feeling are many, but the most widely promulgated is that fraternities are not democratic.

I wonder whether a lot o f this talk isn’t sheer poppycock and twaddle.

Suppose in a neighborhood two friends decide to build an outdoor fireplace. T hey like to be together, putter together, and build a fireplace together. T hey don’t ask every man on the block to join them in building the fireplace. Are they undemocratic?

Suppose a group o f friends form a Bridge Club. T hey invite twenty congenial friends to make up the club. Tw enty is the limit their homes will accommodate. T hey don’t ask every person in Springwood (whether they like bridge or not) to join. Is this club another horrible example o f the modern lack o f democracy?

A group o f persons who hold common beliefs organize a church.

M any persons don’t hold their beliefs and don’t want to be in a church. Are the church folks undemocratic because they go ahead and have a church resting on their beliefs?

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Some o f us believe persons have the right to form a nature group, a ski club, an astronomy club, a dancing class, or a philosophical society. W e believe they have the right to set their purpose, choose their members and carry on as long as they do nothing untoward, traitorous or immoral.

T he antifraternity mind will brand my argument piffle and hogwash. I still contend that fraternities are not undemocratic per se, because they are organizations o f kindred spirits and because men associate themselves in a common purpose to attain goals and re­ tain the right to invite others to join them in the fun and effort.

I think our Democracy will be stronger as we believe that all persons have the right to organize and carry on their organization.

T he real democratic spirit is to grant others the right to the free­ dom to be wrong about fraternities being undemocratic or to be wrong about fraternities being democratic.

June 1954

Keep Cool A LPH W A L D O EM ERSON is to me the most quotable of _ all American writers. Emerson went to Harvard and I am quite sure he never heard o f rushing for a fraternity as rushing is known today.

Often when I think o f our rushing seasons two quotations from Emerson come to mind.

The first quotation is, “ W h y so hot, little man?” Emerson, of course, was thinking o f finite man’s impatience and excitability.

W e might well put it, “Keep cool.” T he chapter that is in a white heat or dither can do all manner o f foolish things. Rushing should be a carefully planned and well executed enterprise. W ith dignity and confidence the chapter should present itself to men o f the finest quality. Likewise, the freshman who runs around looking for bids needs a cooling off period. M y first advice is simple. It is for a chapter to work the rushing season with plan, purpose, calm, and deliberation and to avoid heated and frantic burst o f power that may be regretted.

T he second quotation is, “H ear what the ages are saying to the hours.” Emerson meant to listen to the Eternal. W e might say, “ You pledge men who are to be Betas for life.” Look men over on the basis o f how they will wear, fit in and grow. See men in terms of their possibilities. Remember a man has four years in a chapter.

See him as a sophomore, junior and senior, and as an alumnus. See him as a Beta for life!

M y third suggestion would be that we raise this standard. Let us bring into our membership men who want to be Betas. Let us want the men who will honor and enjoy membership in a Fraternity which offers rare satisfactions to those who believe in it and which asks of a man that he be a true and w orthy Beta all the way.

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Convention Reflections T H IN K I had the distinction o f being one o f the half dozen men who travelled to the 115th General Convention by railroad. It was an automobile Convention. As to the return trip, N ewt, Irv W ensink, and I were the only persons I could find who made our way home in the lowly Pullman.

I am a great believer in going to Beta Conventions by train.

H ere is the reason. The return trip from a Convention for me is a time o f reflection.

W hen Ralph Fey and John Dolibois saw me off at Cincinnati, I was about bushed and was soaking wet with Ohio humidity. I was alone and sank down in my seat before going to the diner.

First, the return from many other Conventions—Pasadena, Old Point Comfort, Mackinac Island, H ot Springs, Virginia, flashed through my mind. I re-lived other Conventions and other early autumn days when I headed home filled with Beta spirit.

Second, I saw Oxford town. I thought o f the beautiful Miami campus, with its splendid buildings and gorgeous trees. I thought of the Beta Campanile, the Administration Building, the Alpha House, and the wonderful Beta Corner on High Street.

Third, I called the roll o f the cordial Oxford folks—towns­ people, University people, Beta wives and children, our Office Staff, and all who welcomed the Beta influx and seemed to want us there.

Fourth, I recalled the presence at the Convention o f so many loyal Beta Alumni, many my friends for over a score o f years. M y, what Beta possesses in her devoted sons!

Fifth, I thought o f the Delegates, their youth, attractiveness, love o f the Fraternity, and extra good sense. Beta’s future is assured!

Sixth, I remembered those no longer present who in life never failed in their love o f Beta T heta Pi. Seventh, I felt the inspiration o f our Brotherhood. I thought of the Ritual on Thursday night when the Alpha and Beta N u boys put on the finest initiation I’ve ever seen.

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W ell, I thought through dinner in the dining car and through the evening in my compartment. T he train rolled on toward W ashington and before me rolled more o f the Beta Story.

Cadillacs, Buicks, Packards are nice, but I’ll take the train home and let the engineer drive while 1 think it over and say again, “ I’m glad I’m a Beta!”

January 1955

The Legacy Question ARY CALKINS, eminent psychologist, used to talk about “ the persistent problems of Philosophy.” I venture to say that one o f the most persistent and aggravating problems o f the entire college fraternity system has to do with legacies.

A legacy is a person who enters a college where there is a chap­ ter of a fraternity o f which some member o f his or her family was a member. T he legacy may be a grandson, granddaughter, son, daughter, brother, sister.

For some reason it has always been assumed that legacies would follow in the fraternity o f their relatives. W hy, I do not know, for there have been thousands o f deviations. Personally, I wish that all legacies could, if they wish, be in the fraternity o f those mem­ bers o f their family who attended college before them.

Now in this persistent problem o f legacies two things constantly stand in juxtaposition. V ery often a chapter will go out o f its way to be nice to legacies and very often a chapter will go out of its way to be rude to legacies. V ery often legacies will arrive on campus, never expecting any consideration, because they are legacies, and very often they arrive with the feeling that the whole deal is a foregone conclusion— signed and sealed on their behalf.

M any years o f fraternity experience have taught me some im­ portant lessons on this legacy question which has worried me very much. I would enumerate these as follows: 1. N o child should be brought up with the idea that when he goes to college he must join dad’s fraternity and dad’s fraternity must pledge him.

2. A chapter is very rude and very wrong if it discriminates against a man because he is a legacy. However, no chapter should have to take a man because o f a family membership in a given fra­ ternity.

3. A chapter should show every courtesy to a legacy and cer­ tainly approach him with the strong feeling that he is potential material. T he family tie is a vital thing in life and in fraternity life.

4. T he legacy should not take the attitude that he is to be shown

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any special favors nor should he act coy. M any legacies have hurt themselves very much by assuming that they entered college with a certain claim staked out.

5. Parents should realize that there are a great many good fra­ ternities and often a child will be better adjusted in some fraternity other than the one dad or mother joined.

6. Kindness, consideration, and good manners are desperately needed. A chapter in voting should do some soul-searching and each member should ask himself—“H ow would I feel if I were a legacy and were turned down?” Moreover, before casting the ballot the member should realize that in about 25 years he may be dad with son entering college hoping to become a member o f dad’s fraternity. Boy, what a different story that is!

7. Objectivity is needed in this whole matter. T he chapter should judge a man for his own worth; a chapter should have enough heart to think o f parents and relatives and the individual himself. The student entering college should be objective about the pledge system. If he is pledged, well and good; but often many of the things in life we have wanted most, and have not gotten, have turned out to be the biggest builders of our character. Parents should be objective about it and not float into the air when the pledge pin is finally delivered or sink into the slough o f despair if it is withheld.

Perhaps this persistent and aggravating problem would always be met correctly if it were handled as so many other things in life should be handled. Long ago there lived one who perhaps had the prescription when he said— “ Do unto others as you would be done by.” Surely, that spirit can never hurt a fraternity, a chapter, a member or a prospective pledge brother. It may well be that what has ailed us in the legacy question is not so much whether Joe had his hair cut by the right barber or whether Sally got her dress from the right modiste, but whether we really believe that as a man thinketh in his heart so is he, for out o f the heart are the only real and lasting issues o f life.

October 1953

H igh and Lofty Purpose HERE is an unforgettable story in one o f the great novels about an old monk who was given the responsibility o f train­ ing novitiates. H e always began his instruction— “This above all, don't lie to yourself.”

I suppose that if a person could live up to that he would be not only real and genuine but inwardly at peace.

On a broader scale I apply the admonition to many corporate bodies or organizations to which I belong. Does our nation commit a kind o f lying to itself about where we will arrive if the course is not determined by clear thinking, moral behavior, and the refusal to be flattered or browbeaten into a slap-happy or whipped-dog attitude?

I could ask the question about many other institutions, even our most sacred, the church—is it lying to itself?

I come now to the question—“ Is Beta T heta Pi lying to itself?”

Is the wave o f modernity against Greek-letter societies? Should we concede that we have no right to pick our own members? Are State Legislatures the determining forces in fixing the “ bounds of our habitations” ? Are Fraternities undemocratic and cruel? Are they chief among drinking societies? Are their members in brief, “ a bunch of bums” ?

After sitting with the Board o f Trustees o f Beta Theta Pi, through many General Conventions and with countless Betas, I am not afraid o f the old monk’s admonition for us. W e are facing reality. W e know a high and lofty purpose. Our product is in those who bear our name. Our Fraternity cannot be proud o f some things, but it can be proud (justifiably proud) of thousands o f men, like myself, if I may be personal, whom it has made infinitely richer, broader, truer, and better human beings.

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M y Faith Is Strong N A poor section o f a western New York city, 1 passed a movie theatre which looked about thirty years old. On the marquee the daily feature was announced as “The T ruth About Youth.”

For a long time after I thought o f that very catching and in­ triguing title. I thought, too, how strange that in a poor, rundown section o f a city, the film industry should reveal the truth about youth. Surely, I would rather rely on wise parents, doctors, teachers, and ministers.

But does anyone know the truth about youth? W e know it is often a very poignant time, often a time o f foolish escapades, often a time o f radical ideas. W e know, too, that it flies by, all too quickly, and soon the youth is a mature person.

Beta Theta Pi ought to know some truth about youth because for 116 years she has been dealing continuously with young men of college age.

It is my humble belief that Beta T heta Pi has suffered from youthful pranks, indiscretions, and worse misdemeanors. H ow ­ ever, our Fraternity has ever gone on the correct theory that youth is a time o f idealism and most young people are idealists.

Stronger than the follies o f youth, or its mistakes, and even sins, our hope is in the idealist who believes in ideals and will not let them go.

M y faith is strong that we in Beta Theta Pi have the ideals, the youth, and the will to carry on our great association.

If you ask me what I think is the truth about youth (in an oversimplification) I would say if youth will believe in its ideals and that the believer can see the ideal realized, a new generation may be the power to take the world out o f back streets and run­ down cities, into a more hospitable and antiseptic kind o f human society.

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A ll Have Added O R five years I have been writing these messages. I thank Columbus Barber* for the privilege and opportunity he has extended so generously to me.

W hether the thoughts 1 have put down have had any merit or value, is for others to say. I do know that I have enjoyed the assignment and have tried to convey a brief thought among our brotherhood.

A boy once wrote his father, “ I pray 1 may bring one stone to the frail wall o f human knowledge.” T he boy was Louis Pasteur.

H ow many stones he brought we know well.

T he Beta experience is not a wall but a mosaic. H ow many thousands o f men have brought stones o f various shapes and colors to place in it! It is a real blessing to see the Beta mosaic. It is made up o f countless experiences, many years o f existence, over a hundred chapters, officers, alumni, and undergraduates.

T he master design has been our brotherhood held together by friendship and fidelity. Boys o f 1839 and 1939, boys o f Maine and Miami, Toronto and Texas, boys in peg-top trousers and in charcoal gray and cordovans have all helped to fill it out.

In the design are lads in gray and blue, in khaki, in olive drab, in uniforms o f seamen, fliers, and marines.

Teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, ministers, businessmen, artists, musicians, poets, and inventors have all added to the design.

Some day another book may well be added to our Beta Library.

It could be called “T he Beta Mosaic.” Such a book could record the longer and more complete story o f how Beta Chapters, Beta Alumni, Beta Undergraduates, Beta Editors, Beta Officers—all of Beta’s Sons have brought their stones and placed them in the design o f a great and good Fraternity.

Let us never fail to attempt to bring one stone, at least, and add it to those brought by Betas before us.

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* E ditor, The Beta Theta Pi

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The mosaic o f our Fraternity has shape and beauty but it is not finished. Constantly the picture grows and takes on more meaning through the single and combined acts o f those who love the brotherhood.

June 1955

We Stand For N E o f the very pleasant things about the General Secretary’s office is that it includes chapter visitations. I have now gone over the 125 visitation mark.

Usually there is a very interesting after-dinner hour. T he chap­ ter members and the alumni present gather in the living room and I am asked to say a few words about the Fraternity. iMore and more, I have come to the question and answer method.

“Ask me,” I say, “ any questions and I ’ll give you a candid and honest answer.”

This technique has brought out what the undergraduates want to know and has given me the opportunity to give factual informa­ tion.

It is within this framework I can emphasize what Beta T heta Pi is standing for.

1. High moral standards. This means men who are motivated by the desire to have a morally sound chapter.

2. Good housing. W e do not want mansions, but well-kept and well-ordered, decent homes for our active members.

3. Rushing. This done according to the Rules and to get the right men to become members o f our Association.

4. Pledge Training. T he end purpose is to teach pledges what Beta T heta Pi is and what it expects o f its individual members and chapters.

5. Ritual. O ur aim is to impress upon the initiate the ideals that guide our brotherhood.

6. Scholarship. W e believe in the “ cultivation o f the intellect.”

Good scholarship is one o f our aims.

7. Alumni Relations. W e have learned that weak chapters usu­ ally have poor alumni support; strong chapters have sound, solid cooperation with their older brothers.

8. Public Relations. T he chapter and Fraternity should be cordially related to neighborhood, community, and campus. It should be “likeable” and liked by others.

9. Cooperation with the College. Each chapter should have the

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goodwill o f the college officers and faculty because it has earned it.

10.

Cooperation with the General Fraternity. Chapters should work with general officers, the Administrative Office, the District Chief, other chapters, and for the up-building o f Beta T heta Pi. January 1957

Old Porch Chairs N E day at the 117th General Convention I had a memorable experience. Down at the far end o f the long porch at the G rand Hotel, Mackinac Island, a small group o f us sat in “ the old porch chairs.” I was invited to join Stanley Hornbeck, Denver and Colorado ’03; John Baker, Miami ’04; Otho E. (Billy) Lane, Miami ’01, and George Chandler, Michigan ’98, in a relaxed sitting-and-rocking bee.

W e just sunned, sat, chatted, and rambled on about anything.

All four o f these men have been Betas for more than half a century. All four have been great Betas.

First, I thought o f the long years o f being a Beta each one had known. W h at experiences they could recount.

Second came to mind the hundreds and thousands o f Betas they had met and known.

Third, I realized that each could write a Beta history o f his own.

Behind these men were years and years o f loyalty to their col­ lege, chapter, General Conventions, officers, and individual Betas.

All four were outstandingly successful men in their field and had made a big contribution in their communities and the nation.

O ur Fraternity can be proud o f countless sons. W e have had men who ever thought of bringing credit and honor to our good name.

As my brothers talked on, I felt the power o f the Fraternity in their lives and what a power they had been to make Beta Theta Pi ever more glorious.

Beta T heta Pi is a total o f us all, but it is very individual. The individuals in our group make us what we are.

T he hour went by, and I felt I had been blessed to sit with these four men so representative o f the most loyal, devoted, consecrated Betas o f whom there have been thousands and o f whom there will be more.

N o wonder we say, “ I’m glad I’m a Beta.”

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March 1957 156

September Thoughts H EN fall returning you’ll see again the campus nestled in the little town or standing like a citadel o f light in the great city. Etched on your mind will be each hall and building and to your ears will come the chime or stroke o f bells or clock. T he old walls and paths will stretch before you. Going by you, as if in parade, will be the faces o f professors and fellow students. Did I ever dress that way and was I once that young? W ere girls ever so gay and breathless? W as life ever so burdened with a thousand things and yet so utterly carefree?

W hen fall returning you’ll see a score o f large houses standing in a row. On their doors you’ll see G reek letters, above their doors Coats o f Arms and hanging from their poles brightly colored flags.

On the porches will be groups o f young men apparently terribly busy and important but doing nothing.

W hen fall returning you’ll remember the blue sky, white clouds and hot sun at noon and the chill o f night and the bright stars over­ head. By day there come the hoarse grunts from the practice field and the rattle o f dishes through open kitchen windows.

W hen fall returning you’ll remember going through “ rush.”

W ho are these fellows—what’s his name—faces, faces, faces—it doesn’t make much sense.

W hen fall returning you’ll recall a knock on your door, a little white card o f invitation, a bid. Your walk to the chapter house, your greeting and your welcome. You move to the nearest mirror to look at a little white Grecian shield with three gold stars there in your lapel.

W hen fall returning you’ll go back to when you were pledged and it all began. You’ll meet yourself coming up the road and re­ member one o f the great hours o f your life.

W hen fall returning you’ll know once more why you and other men have loved Beta T heta Pi and why men love their college and chapter.

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October 1957 157

Three Paradoxes N 1927 Dean W illard L. Sperry o f Harvard Divinity School de­ livered two lectures in England under the title The Paradox of Religion. These are in book form and contain an amazing thought.

It is that religion shows a great paradox. On the one hand, religion is always telling how dissimilar man is to God; on the other hand, how much like God man is. T o put it in my words, the first is man evil whereas God is Perfect, and the second is “H e made us in His own image.”

T he more I see of the Greek-letter fraternity world, the more I read about it and the more I come in touch with it first hand, the more I realize it presents a series o f paradoxes.

One such paradox is the phenomenal growth in fraternity mem­ bership, in the number o f chapters and in the size o f chapters in the face o f the prevalent, bitter, and often unrealistic criticism o f fra­ ternities.

A second paradox is that often those who shout most vocifer­ ously for civil rights, freedom, liberty, and all unshacklings o f the human body and mind are the most undemocratic about other per­ sons’ rights o f free association. Such persons not only would refuse one the right to choose his friends, they would go far beyond. If they could not obliterate fraternities in the name o f freedom, they would put them in handcuffs, chains, strait jackets, and any other form o f binding man’s freedom.

A third paradox is seen within fraternities themselves. This is demonstrated by men who didn’t have to join a fraternity, but did.

T hey took the place of someone who wanted to join but didn’t get the opportunity. T he persons to whom I refer, by some religious passion, burning o f conscience or social zeal, suddenly attack from within their own association and friends. T hey do not say anything about the ideals, the purposes, or the good which fraterni­ ties have done for countless individuals.

A paradox is one o f the most powerful things o f life. T o l e frank about Jesus, he was, as someone has said, “ An infinite paradox.”

M any o f the greatest teachings o f St. Paul were cast in paradoxical

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form. Much of everyday life is a paradox; and through the paradox, we often see more deeply and come to understand more widely the complexity o f life. Is it too much to say that the complexity o f a paradox simplifies?

T o get back to the paradoxes the fraternity world faces, we can come to certain conclusions. In the first instance, growth which is because o f popular acceptance is met with bitter opposition by those with whom the fraternity idea is unpopular. I will place my confidence in the former half o f the paradox. Fraternities will grow more and more. In regard to the second paradox, “ Liberty burns brightest in dungeons.” I will place my confidence here that man will not surrender because o f threats to his right o f freedom of association. In regard to the third paradox, there are in every classification of life persons who hate what they are. T hey want to be something else. T hey believe they can improve everything.

T hey can find fault with anything. As to fraternities, if they came into one voluntarily, the solution to their problem is to withdraw from it voluntarily.

Perhaps one o f the commonest maladies o f our day is ambiv­ alence, or trying to do or to be two things at the same time. This dilemma our Fraternity should avoid. As the YM CA should be a Young—M en’s—Christian—Association, Beta T heta Pi should be what it is supposed to be: a G reek-letter college fraternity. It should admit with pride its origin, roots, history, ideals, and achievements. It should take pleasure in saying what it is, even though at times it may have to endure brickbats for that reason.

M ay it never say that it is something it isn’t to save its skin or to win someone’s favor.

June 1958

Tomorrow's Leaders LARENCE L. Newton, W esleyan ’02, and Ray W . Irvin, W ooster ’08, known throughout our Broad Domain as “N ew t” and “Shorty,” died a few days apart.

The service o f both these men to and their love for the Fra­ ternity will ever be models and inspirations. It would take pages to tell o f their service to Beta T heta Pi in Boston and Cleveland and on the scale o f the General Fraternity. T hey loved their colleges, chapters, and brother Betas.

N ew t had an unbroken record o f official positions held going up to the Presidency. Shorty made his contribution through the por­ traits o f great Betas in the Knox Library, his singing and Con­ vention attendance.

These men were blest with charming wives and N ew t with a devoted daughter, Dorothy, and Shorty with a fine Beta son, Frank, as well as a daughter, Jean.

These men made a greater Beta T heta Pi and were ever lifters o f the level o f our performance.

Letters now come to me asking, “ Is Beta Theta Pi today at­ tracting and raising men like these two? Are we getting boys who are like N ew t and Shorty were in the early 1900s? W ill today’s Betas ever show such loyalty and love for our Association as did these two men?”

M y answer is yes.

I say yes because I’ve seen hundreds o f present-day Betas who will lead us tomorrow. However, I say yes on another score. The two men I write about had many gifts and large attainments. Both were truly successful men, but they had something else: the faith to know others would be like them in devotion to the Fraternity. W hat they did not know was the extent to which they inspired younger men to become great and good Betas.

T o know N ew t and Shorty moved one to say, “T he lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, Yea, I have a goodly heritage.”

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A t the 1927 convention, I. to r., Seth Brooks, Charles B. G utelius, In­ diana ’05, and Charles P. Davis, M ichigan ’96.

A new D istrict C h ief in 1927

e A bbott-Y oung M erial Beta T em ple and St. L aw rence chapter lse.

Seth Brooks on the left w ith G ordon Smyth, Penn­ sylvania ’18, editor o f The Beta Theta Pi.

Electcd G eneral Secretary o f Beta T h eta Pi in 1950, Seth Brooks im prints a docum ent w ith the G reat Seal o f the fraternity.

T h e Beautiful Beta T em ple at St. L aw rence, the joint gift o f M rs.

V asco P. A bbott honoring her Beta husband and tw o Beta sons, W o rth P. A bbott, St. Law rence ’00 and H ugh A bbott, St. L aw ­ rence ’03 and M r. and M rs O w en D Young in m em ory o f their son, John Young, St. L aw rence ’24.

Five G eneral Secretaries: 1. to r., H arold .

Baily, C lifford C. G regg, Seth Brook: Edw ard M . Brown and G . H erbert Smith.

G rand H otel group— 1. r., J. M oreau Brov D artm outh ’39; Colu bus Barber, W e s t Virgii ’20; Ben C. G rossci W itten b erg ’16 and S( Brooks, St. L aw rence ’I

In the O ld Porch Chairs.

From the left: Stanley K .

H ornbeck, C olorado ’03; John L. Baker, M iam i ’04; Seth Brooks, G eorge M .

Chandler, M ichigan 1898; O tho E. Lane, M iami ’01.

T h e Beta Fresiden w ith one o f the Dis trict Chiefs, Mei< Com pton, Indian. ’49.

C orinne and Seth Brooks at the 1951 convention at O ld Point Com fort, V a.

T h e A dm inistrative Office at O xford, Ohi established in 1949.

Seth confers w ith A dm inistrative Secretary Frederick F. Brower, M iam i â&#x20AC;&#x2122;50.

A dm inistrative Secretary Ronald P . H elm an, M iam i â&#x20AC;&#x2122;55, w atches a convention m arch w ith Seth and C orinne Brooks.

A nother familiar sceneâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Seth making a chapter visitation and surrounded by undergraduates and alumni.

T h e U niversalist N ational M em orial Church in W ash ­ ington, D .C ., to which Seth Brooks cam e as m inister in 1939.

Iw o Beta Brothers helped Seth celebrate the 25 th anniversary o f hi s W ashington m inistry o n jan u ary 12, 1964. O n the left, Philip Young, St. L aw rence ’31 and on the right, Ralph N . Fey, Miami ’40.

A bove is show n the leather-bound volume containing 170 L etters from his Beta brothers and m em bers o f the A dm inistrative staff. T h is w as presented to Seth Brooks at the banquet o f the 127th G eneral Convention, Septem ber 2, 1966, by the late Joseph J. Rom oda, St. Law rence ’3 3, then G eneral Secretary.

A s a token o f appreciation for his services to Beta T h eta Pi, this “ Philadelphia Bowl” was presented to Seth Brooks on behalf o f the active and alumni m em bers o f Phi C hapter at the U niversity o f Penn­ sylvania by W illiam C. Scheetz, Jr., Pennsylvania ’3 3.

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In D ecem ber, 1966 at the annual gathering o f the N ational Interfratern ity C onference in N ew O rleans Dr. Brooks was presented w ith the N IC G old M edal “ F or Distinguished Service T o Youth T hrough Thi Am erican College F ra tern ity .” T h e front and reverse o f the medal are shown above.

In 1967 the Freedom s Foundation o f V alley Forge, Pennsylvania selected Seth Brooks to receive ii G eorge W ashington M edal. T h e aw ard was for the article “ Freedom W ith ” w hich had appeared in th February, 1966 issue o f The Beta Theta Pi. T h e medal is shown above.

Inward Treasures U R IN G the past several months a number o f new and beauti­ ful chapter houses have been dedicated and occupied. The first thoughts that come to mind are from Scripture and from one of our earthy poets: “ Unless the Lord build the house, the building is in vain,” and “ It takes a heap o’ livin’ to make a house a home.”

In these new homes we hope for the spiritual values that may surround college men and direct them toward being most useful and w orthy persons.

M ay there be for those who dwell beneath these roofs and within these walls inward treasures mined from living together: Happiness should be found by all. N ot just selfish contentment from the comfortable and modern appointments, but the kind a popular song expresses: “ I want to be happy but I can’t be happy unless I make you happy too.” A happy home is where persons make others happy, too.

Appreciation for the work and generosity on the part o f alumni and friends which made available for coming generations o f Betas houses o f which to be justly proud.

Loyalty that flies its flag at the masthead and makes a home, as Channing Pollock said, “the house beautiful.”

Behavior that is the mark o f disciplined, educated, cultivated men who are well groomed without and within; behavior that is right conduct at all times.

Ideals that are not up in the clouds but among living, thinking, walking men on their daily missions, whatever the missions are and wherever they lead.

Usefulness o f the kind Nathan Hale meant when as a lad o f 20 he said, “ I want to be useful.” Those five words should have a priority in our individual and group endeavors.

Possession as expressed by Obadiah, “T he House o f Jacob shall possess its possessions.” Legally, we may own these houses. It is another thing to possess them and make them our own to the full­ est. It is not enough to say, “ W e have a wonderful house.” W e must possess our possessions.

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Intellect that is not just acquiring knowledge, but is the right judgment as to the relative value o f things. Intellect should give man the wisdom that is the desire for discipline.

Friendship that rests upon men revealing their light to one an­ other. T o know the priceless gift o f friendship, we both receive it and give it.

Reverence that is awe before that which is sacred. A court house, a church, a science building on a campus, a chapter house will never reach its highest meaning and purpose unless those who enter it know when they are standing before something that is sacred.

In our magnificent new chapter homes may the Beta boys of today and tomorrow know that, the formal dedication over, it will depend on them ever to dedicate the house anew through what they are and do in it.

February 1959

Reflections IN CE I began my term as General Secretary in August, 1950, I have made over 225 chapter visitations and have addressed about 30 Alumni gatherings. I could not compute the number of miles I have travelled, the different beds in which I have slept, the thousands o f Betas I have met, and the hours which have been in­ volved in these trips. It has been a thrilling experience and, al­ though there have been hardships, I look back with the deepest gratitude that such an experience could be mine.

O ne’s reminiscences run something like this: T he beauty o f the United States and Canada is beyond description. God truly blest us. T he American and Canadian complex o f universities and col­ leges is almost unbelievable from the standpoint o f size, variation, beauty and, I believe, the noblest dedication to the loftiest con­ cepts o f learning. T he college presidents, deans and faculty mem­ bers are, generally speaking, scholars and gentlemen. T he college town, community and campus have their own charm. W e are a people tied to traditions and blessed memories. Loyalty and pride for Alma M ater are builded up in the college man or woman.

For Beta there is always admiration for history made by Betas at an educational institution. There are the stories the boys still repeat about Betas who went before them. There is the Beta house which one from another chapter feels is, nevertheless, his house; and here he relaxes in a comfortable chair amid congenial spirits.

These are active experiences, but they continue to crowd in as afterthoughts.

Yet one’s chief impression has to do with that most precious o f all things, human personality. One remembers the outstanding alumni and undergraduates he has met. One knows that our Fra­ ternity has been a molding force in many lives. Sometimes one almost stands in awe o f the deep devotion and compelling loyalty which have seized the lives o f so many in our Clan.

Men o f great dignity have been the builders o f our Fraternity.

These men had a dignity o f their own. T hey expressed it in their profession, their business or their community; but always some­

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how they carried it over into Beta T heta Pi. O ur heritage has been the heritage o f great human dignity.

T he thought that perhaps lingers longest, therefore, is the feel­ ing that the lines have fallen unto us in pleasant places; we have a goodly heritage; and to travel abroad in our Domain is to have the privilege o f knowing and mingling with real persons who have en­ riched life. Another thought is that in some way we in turn have expressed to those we have met as much that is inspiring and pur­ poseful as we have received on what we call our Beta trips.

June 1959

The Real Measurement H E question is heard, “ W hat is the best fraternity?” Some persons have even worked out schemes whereby they have published the standings o f fraternities: first, second, third, etc.

M y position would be that no one knows the best or second best.

There are simply too many persons, known and unknown factors involved to pinpoint the fifth or eighth in standing.

Various fraternities emphasize as most important different things. Again fraternities can be strong in one geographical loca­ tion and weak in another. Some chapters are consistently outstand­ ing or weak and some chapters go up and down.

Are age, size, numbers, financial assets, scholarship, athletes, publications, alumni associations the criteria?

A sober second thought brings me to the conviction that as much as we want to excel in outward attainments, something else calls for our evaluation.

T he real measurement o f a fraternity is : Is it a fraternity?

Old or young in years, do its members behave as a brotherly corporate body? Large or small in numbers, do the wearers o f its badge have cohesiveness and dedication? Are its scholars or C students cultivated gentlemen? A re its athletes well-rounded men?

Do its publications print something worth printing? Are its alumni still loyal to group effort that is mutually beneficial?

T he only thing that ever beat a bad idea is a good idea. T he test we must apply to ourselves is, “ Do we really know who we are?”

Are purposes and aims high? Is our operation sound? Do we build better persons? Do our ideals motivate men? A re we willing to be known by our products? Are the members o f our Fraternity the finest, highest-minded, most dedicated and most useful persons we know?

T he best fraternity is best because it has the best record o f per­ sons o f the best character. T he fraternity should build this in its members. T he fraternity man shall give this testament in the name o f his fraternity.

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A Climate fo r Fraternities ORDS are things. Those who remember W orld W ar I will never forget, “T hey shall not pass.” These words sustained a French A rm y and the French people. Prior to W orld W ar II, “W h y die for France?” was insidiously circulated by per­ sons who knew, if the suggestion took, it could defeat France from within.

Slogans are powerful. H istory has turned on a word, phrase or sentence. Think o f “Blood, sweat, toil, tears.” There are words and cliches which are overdone, but which express something we all feel. Think o f The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, The Organiza­ tion Man, The Hidden Persuaders, The Aspirin Age, and now Image. W e have been made conscious o f “A National Image,” “A Presidential Image,” and all the other “images.”

T he Founders o f our Fraternity, who never heard these words in our context, were conscious o f something o f which we should be aware. Instead o f the man in the gray flannel suit, they believed in persons who would develop individual personalities, leadership and the self-discipline (which alone is freedom) through “ the cultivation o f the intellect.” T hey would have abhorred a waisthigh culture or hidden persuaders, because through “mutual aid and assistance” men were to help each other to build strength of character and personal integrity. T hey had an image o f what their Association should be; but it was not an image set up like a Golden Calf, nor was it merely a reflection o f their composite picture. It was an ideal of what young men on the Frontier, richly blest by teachers in humble educational institutions and further blest by undergraduate brotherhoods, should make as their offering to our young Democracy. These lads heard from elders who had taken part in it about the Revolution. T heir generation they knew must produce leaders for this Nation. T hey knew they must take a full share of responsibility. T hey were not mixed up in their con­ cept o f Democracy. I f Democracy meant equality and the rights of man, implicit in Democracy was the right o f association. This N a­ tion was to benefit in time from every conceivable sort o f associa­

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tion with its own standards, demands, restrictions and characteris­ tics. O ur Founders would have deplored a society in which all were reduced to being no better than the mediocre and the denial o f the right o f men to determine the complexion o f their organiza­ tions.

An eminent historian has asked where the great statesmen of America are today. H e pointed out that in the beginning of this Nation, as in ancient Athens, statesmen flourished because every­ one was thinking about state or city. H e further said that there was something contagious: in a period o f statesmanship, other men caught the spirit. Now, he continued, we exalt the business execu­ tive; from the President’s Cabinet to Boards o f Trustees in educa­ tional, civic and charitable fields and in the giving o f honorary degrees, the business executive is the sought-after man.

T he lesson for us is that college fraternities, if they are to fulfill their rightful place, must have persons who think about than. They must create a climate in which what originally motivated the fra­ ternity system in this country becomes contagious and is caught.

They must know they will reap that for which they stand—as is the case in a state with statesmen and in a country with business executives.

The multitudinous fraternities and fraternity men have a common front upon which they can honorably sustain one another. It is the front where fraternities as voluntary social organizations produce leaders and men o f responsibility who have learned these from living with other men in fraternal association.

March 1960

To the Parents HIS Inter Fratres has nothing to do directly with Beta alumni or Beta undergraduates. It is written for Beta par­ ents.

Through the wise suggestion o f Former Administrative Secre­ tary, Ralph N . Fey, we began sending our Magazine to the parents o f undergraduate Betas—about 5,000 in number.

It has been my pleasure to greet and meet many Betas recently out o f college who are in the Washington area. I usually ask them if they are receiving The Beta Theta Pi. Again and again they say, “No, my father and mother won’t let me change the address. T hey want The Magazine and when it comes they read it from cover to cover and then show it to friends.” This is high tribute to The Magazine and to Editor Robert T . Howard.

W e are proud o f Beta parents whose sons became Betas. W e want you parents to be proud of your son’s Fraternity.

Beta T heta Pi has had and has now many great men in its mem­ bership. N o end o f these men deeply love their Fraternity. T hey were once undergraduates, learning the Beta Story.

A t the chapter level we are not a school o f perfection. W e have problems, some troubles, but generally speaking, 95 per cent I ’d say, o f our undergraduates are real solid, idealistic men. They know the General Fraternity admires them, but also that the General Fraternity expects high performance from them. W e will not tolerate untoward behavior.

W e are trying to build men who are leaders—unselfish, useful, cultured and cultivated. W e want a Beta to shine forth because o f his worth. W e want a Beta to be outstanding.

You can help Beta T heta Pi to be known as a Fraternity which believes in the highest for young men. You can be sure we are teaching brotherhood as one way to make men help each other in the effort to be finer and nobler persons.

As you read about Betas, old and young, we hope you will say, “ I ’m glad my son is a member of Beta T heta Pi.” I wish I could meet you Beta parents. As much as we believe in the bonds between the Brothers, we believe, too, in the ties be­ tween our Beta families.

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We Are A ll Here H E Acts of the Apostles is frequently exciting reading. W e might well wonder why it is not read more for its sheer en­ joyment and why more persons have not developed familiarity with some of its scintillating statements which make good com­ panions for periods o f reflection.

For example, there is the account o f Paul’s being in jail. During the night a severe earthquake almost shattered the jail and so great was the upheaval that the doors of the cells were sprung open. The jailer knew that the penalty for any prisoner’s escaping would cost him his life as an incompetent guard. In terror with torch and sword the jailer rushed to Paul’s cell. Paul fearing that the jailer in desperation might use his sword upon himself said, “ Do thyself no harm: fo r we are all here.” In the Acts we find such graphic stories that we cannot forget them. W e also come upon some o f the finest language we will ever read. W e find examples o f masterful usage which strike immortal notes. T he latter part o f the statement by Paul to his jailer is a gem o f usage and insight— “For we are all here.”

If I understand Beta T heta Pi, these five words are imbedded in its history and still in the present day are for us a touchstone. In 1839 when eight young men at Old Miami founded our Fraternity, they were in spirit saying, “For we are all here.”

This was the mood o f their early meetings as a brotherhood.

Through the years our Fraternity has never lost this sense o f our being together as one. A man’s Roll Number reaches back to the first man on his Chapter Roll and then reaches to the latest number given an initiate. As a chapter member, a Beta thinking to earlier classes and then to those after his own should be able to say. “For we are all here.”

This is the feeling for our corporate life as a chapter. T he man o f unselfish devotion to his chapter wants it to succeed in the spirit o f oneness and unanimity from the oldest member to the youngest.

This man cannot separate himself from his chapter or work to

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lead it down the byway where there is no feeling, “ For we are all here.”

W hen we gather four or five hundred strong in a General Con­ vention we should be able to say, “For we are all here.” W e repre­ sent our chapter, class and section o f the United States or Canada.

Regardless o f our ages, colleges, names or backgrounds, a Beta Convention is a time crowned by the feeling— “For we are all here.”

Those o f us who have watched leaders o f our Fraternity in our gatherings have sensed that they transmit to each o f us their elation at being again in such goodly fellowship.

O ur Fraternity has grown and prospered because the cement which has held it together might be called unity, harmony and accord. T he man or chapter causing divisiveness, seeking selfish ends and impervious to our corporate good has never known the meaning o f the Fraternity and has created only discord.

This is a confused period of history. M en vehemently espouse causes. M en seek to use cherished organizations as instruments for their own advantage. M en seek to win by pressure, blackmail and scheming. T he greatness of Beta T heta Pi in the past has been its almost one hundred per cent freedom from such motivations. Our present and our future can only give men the pleasure which our Fraternity has for more than 120 years given if we keep paramount what is implicit in— “For we are all here.”

T he Fraternity in this day of pressure will have difficulty sur­ viving even with rich measures o f unity, harmony, and accord and without them one can plot the date of its demise.

March 1961

It Is Us N E o f the most foolish things an officer o f a Fraternity can do is to tell undergraduates, “ Thou shaltnot.” This certainly does not mean a General Fraternity has no prohibitions or limits relating to the conduct and behavior o f undergraduates and chap­ ters. N or does it mean officers should be weak, spineless or in­ effective in enunciating what a Fraternity has stood for and does stand for in upholding its honor and good name.

It may be a psychological reaction, but it is immediate when on a chapter visit an officer throws down the gauntlet and announces, “You can't do that.”

T he m atter would be simple, if we could go on the theory that the antidote was to lead by positive suggestion and persuasion, automatically accepted by the undergraduates.

N ot long ago in a chapter house two Fraternity officers were meeting with the chapter. T w o opposite points o f view emerged— one the undergraduates’, the other the officers’. T w o hours of dis­ cussion did not resolve the impasse; the chapter members were glad to say adieu to their guests, and the officers upon reaching fresh air gave thanks.

Shortly thereafter a letter came from the chapter to one o f the officers saying, “W e hope nothing will happen to end our beloved General Fraternity.”

T h at statement carried a poignant note. A note which hits bed­ rock in the question, “ W hat is the General Fraternity—officers, alumni, chapters, undergraduates, something vague, unseen or in books o f lore?” No, the General Fraternity is us—all o f us and each o f us. In microcosm it is I. H ere is the most common breach between chapter and General Fraternity, Undergraduates think o f the General Fraternity as “they” rather than “us.” Officers too often forget their own under­ graduate complaints about “the Board,” “ the Fraternity,” “Head­ quarters.” T hey forget that a day out o f college many an under­ graduate will meet stark reality and see his chapter not from within but from without.

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T he duty o f the officer is, if he can, to give scope and perspective to his presentation o f the Fraternity. It is to show its entirety, history and total operation. It is to show that a private association which invites men to join is not and cannot be operated like a public institution supported by the taxes o f all citizens.

T o remind officers long out o f college o f present campus think­ ing and aims is the chapter’s duty. T o remind chapters that a Fraternity is a brotherhood in which all have a common stake and interest is the officer’s duty.

There are always alternatives to a G reek-letter college fra­ ternity—a club, a student association, the abolition o f fraternities.

But a fraternity is its founders, history, ideals, membership, code, generation after generation living in a chapter house A N D officers duly elected to guide the Fraternity—officers who were once active in a chapter and will be followed by those active today!

June 1961

You Ought N o t N M Y daily work, I long ago instituted The You-Ought-To Club. As the years have gone by, enrollment in this club has ever increased.

Its members are those persons who at all times and under all cir­ cumstances have had something they wanted done—by somebody else. T heir technique is simply to say, “ You ought to. . . .”

One is wise to inure himself to the You-Ought-To Club, and simply let its tribe increase.

If a You-Ought-To Club exists in daily life, there is real need in the fraternity world for a You-Ought-NOT-To Club.

First, we might address parents: “ You ought not to bring up your son or daughter with the idea he or she will become a member o f father’s fraternity or mother’s sorority.” Next, we would speak to a chapter: “ You ought not take a negative attitude toward legacies, for many legacies who have been passed up would have been the best chapter members.” (A Senior said to me of a legacy in his class who had been passed by, “T he worst mistake this house made was that it did not pledge that man as a Freshman.” ) W e next would address ourselves to a chapter when voting is taking place on prospective members. T he man in question is going to become a member o f an historic Fraternity which has had in its membership leaders o f men who have held the Fraternity close to their heart. This man is to receive a great honor in being asked to become a member. H e will live in intimate association in a chapter house with members o f a brotherhood. I f there are any doubts about his character, soundness, ability to get along with others, gentlemanliness and capacity to make a contribution to chapter and Fraternity, “You ought not to elect him.”

I would address all those who are entering colleges and universi­ ties where there are G reek-letter fraternities. I would invite each entrant to think about himself as a member o f a fraternity. I f he thinks the Fraternity System is a disgrace, but nevertheless will join a fraternity, I would say to him, “You ought not.” I f he thinks he is going to join a fraternity and make it a laboratory o f social

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experiment, I would say, “ You ought not to join.” If his purpose in joining is to force through the issue o f minorities, I would say, “ You ought not to join.” I f his desire is to join something and try to wreck it from within, I would say, “ You ought not to join.”

T w o facts appear out o f my years o f fraternity work. First, fraternities have too many men who resign and too many who are expelled. W ould that there had been some voice to say to such men before they joined— “You ought not to join.” Second, I have known members o f a fraternity who privately and openly have talked against it. In my office I have offered such men the opportunity to resign. I have told them, if they are displeased, it is better for them to have their name taken from our Roll and to return their Badge and Shingle. Not one man ever acted upon my suggestion. Some father, mother, brother, sister, wife or sweetheart should say to this man— “ You ought not continue to be a member o f something you profess not to honor.”

T he fraternity picture would be clarified if we could say to per­ sons who are its critics, “ You ought not to talk so freely about something about which you know nothing from the inside.” A great boon to fraternities would accrue if they would institute a You-Ought-NOT-To Club for all those who should never have be­ come members.

In a free country, I suppose we have the right to say— “ You ought to” and “ You ought not to.”

January 1962

L iving Up to Tradition O W A R D the close o f a day-long visit to one o f our chapters a very young-looking pledge asked if he could have a word with me. H e said he wanted to tell me what had impressed him most about the Fraternity to which he had pledged. In simple terms it was that “ the men in the chapter were all gentlemen” and all the older men who wore our Badge whom he had met during his days o f pledgeship had impressed him “ as outstanding gentlemen.”

A t a chapter visit I had one o f those informal hours in the chap­ ter president’s room with a few other officers who sat around.

These men said to me that they had such an outstanding pledge class “ we are trying to live up to it and to set the highest example o f what our Fraternity is.”

These two experiences were inspiring and will long be remem­ bered. However, having dealt with Fraternity matters over many years I am ever reminded o f one of our greatest writers, W illiam Raimond Baird. T o me Baird was a genius. His greatness in many fields could be explained in no other way. H e once remarked that all the Beta writing he had done would not be complete until he wrote on “Betas I Know W ho A re In Jail and Betas I Know W ho Ought T o Be In Jail.” Along with other rare gifts Baird possessed a sense o f humor.

It seems to me that what we all need to understand is that human beings are frail. M en and institutions are imperfect. It would be utter folly to think there were only “gentlemen” in our Fraternity and it would be unfair to have too large a figure o f those who could be included in Baird’s suggested work.

There is not only a moral, but enlightenment for us all in the two experiences with which this Inter Fratres opens. First, we should hope that every Beta is trying to be a gentleman. W e should look for the marks o f a gentleman in every Beta we encounter. Above all, each one o f us should resolve that being a gentleman is our aim for we wish to be urbane in deportment, courteous in expression, and steadfast in friendship.

T he second thing we should all realize is that we are always an

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example to someone. There are the things a man must live up to because other men are looking at him. Probably one o f the most important things in the democratic process is that men who ad­ vance to positions o f authority and trust, if they are real men, find that their leadership requires o f them that they be examples of honor, character, and gentlemanliness.

W e who are in this Fraternity with its long history o f great men who have been outstanding gentlemen should realize two things.

W e would not revere our past as we do, had not our sires left the unending example and inspiration o f the cultivated man. Again, if our Fraternity is to have the great future we hope for it, then those of the present hour must be living up to the best o f our tradition so that those who come after them will see the light o f the stars and follow in the path trod by those who led our Fraternity in the past to its heights and points o f distant vision.

March 1962

The General Fraternity A N Y O N E who serves Beta T heta Pi in an elected or appointed \ . office discovers that he has grown very fond and proud of countless undergraduate Betas. Nothing has been more pleasant than my friendship with succeeding groups o f undergraduates.

Some o f these friendships have lasted and grown deeper over more than three decades.

Affection for the undergraduate is at times mingled with sur­ prise, shock, alarm, and mild indignation when one hears under­ graduates say, “ W e feel no part o f the General Fraternity,” or “ W e have a close brotherhood in the house, but the General Fra­ ternity means nothing to us.”

T o a man who has a deep involvement in the General Fraternity, such remarks as these are not only disturbing, but painful. N ot only are there the undergraduates who do not feel a part o f the General Fraternity; there are those who ask, “ W hat has the General Fraternity done for us?” Still others complain, “The General Fraternity just leaves us off here with a feeling o f isola­ tion.”

Let us think about the undergraduate, the active chapter, and the General Fraternity.

1. Each o f us was initiated into Beta Theta Pi, not the local Skull and Bones.

2. Each wears a Badge worn by 70,000 men.

3. Each undergraduate when a Pledge receives Son of the Stars which tells about the history and many personalities in Beta Theta Pi. 4. Each of us when a Pledge gets a Song Book to learn Beta Songs which have been sung for years by Betas all over the world.

5. Each o f us has a Shingle which is a sign we are a member of a great Fraternity.

6. Chapters are visited by General Officers, D istrict Chiefs and Alumni.

7. The Magazine telling about Betas is received by a member for life. l

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8. There are the Shepardson books and Faw cett’s Marching Along.

9. There are Beta Conventions where Betas from every chapter gather.

10. There are mailings to the undergraduate chapters from the General Secretary and the Oxford Office. These offer many aids.

11. There is General Fraternity concern in every Beta’s grades, payment o f house accounts, conduct and success on campus and in life.

T he Board o f Trustees and Alumni are keenly aware o f the status o f every chapter and the undergraduates. T he General Fra­ ternity rejoices in the accomplishments o f every undergraduate and suffers when undergraduates fail to live up to the ideals o f the Fraternity.

T he man who is not aware o f his General Fraternity and o f what it is, means, does and offers him must share in any blame.

T he General Fraternity expects a man from the time he is pledged to know about a great Association which for nearly a century and a quarter has been getting ready to confer upon him the honor of membership.

T he General Fraternity has reached hundreds and thousands o f men who testify to it through their devotion to and unselfish ser­ vice to the Fraternity. H ow did the men who have held such affec­ tion for the General Fraternity develop that affection? T he answer is they sought, found and responded to the great offering Beta T heta Pi made to them.

T he way to know our Beta T heta Pi is to make the effort to know it. T he most outstanding men who have been devoted Betas throughout their lives did not wait to be spoon-fed. T hey were hungry to know more and more about the Fraternity, and they never stopped trying to satisfy that hunger.

M ay 1962

Importance o f Character Ci

I HERE is nothing new under the sun” is one o f the oldest JL and most firmly established maxims. Also, who can live without agreeing with the ancient G reek who said all things can be expressed in the one word Change?

In a sense this is man’s dichotomy. I f he thinks clearly and wisely, he realizes there is nothing new— sunrise, sunset, the seasons, birth, fear, hope, passion, instinct, slavery, freedom, good, evil, death. H e knows, too, that all around him he sees change.

Nothing is the same today as it was yesterday. W e change and our fellowmen change. T he surface o f the Earth, the destiny o f N a­ tions, the face o f the Community change.

In the life o f a college student and fraternity member there is nothing new. Those who went before on this campus or in this Chapter House tried all these things, although in a specifically dated form—beards, stove pipe hats, tight trousers, bell bottom trousers, raccoon coats, tweed jackets, swallowing gold fish, packing telephone booths, the Charleston, the T w ist. (The rule applies to all moral conduct, too.)

T he most serious confrontation comes in regard to character.

Character is character under the sun and character as character never changes. Yet the depressing fact is what happens to charac­ ter, which seems to have vanished, be unknown or not present in so many persons.

T he real crisis o f our lives is a crisis in Character. “There is nothing new under the sun.” Quite so. Character is not new. H ow ­ ever, what should w orry us is the changed climate in which charac­ ter is so often absent or where we find a poor excuse for it.

T he world situation, our National future, the Home, the Col­ lege, the Fraternity will be what character is in persons. O ur grav­ est problem is not the Atomic Bomb or the Cold W ar, but whether man—you and I—has character that stands as only character can; character which makes the difference between real persons and those who always seem to be in the half light o f who they are and what they will stand for, live for and even die for.

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Steady!

EA N W IL L A R D L. SPERRY o f Harvard Divinity School used to say o f Rufus Jones, the great Q uaker Leader, that he had 11the non-rattle mood."

If there is anything the college fraternity needs it is poise, stability, strength, and self-assurance, the guarantors o f “the non-rattle mood.” T oo often persons looking at the college fra­ ternity gather, rightly or wrongly, the impression that fraternities are worried, on the defensive and trembling in their boots. There should not be, and in many cases there is not, any justification for one’s having this impression o f the college fraternity.

An unfriendly press or misguided legislation tempts us to slash back, to charge trifling with the truth, to tell the instigators to let fraternities set their own policies.

Those who have had experience on a Board o f Trustees have felt the attacks o f persons who have had little knowledge o f reasons leading to considered conclusions. Feeling the brunt o f these at­ tacks one would like to request “these angry men” to ask for facts before making pronouncements which could have dire effects on the fraternity.

Some undergraduate chapters seem to arrive at a point o f no re­ turn through their conduct and regrettable campus image. Persons charged with safeguarding the good name and reputation o f the fraternity in which such chapters exist are prone to be outraged and shout for “ a house cleaning.”

There is the tendency when persons of lofty intent in the fra­ ternity are put upon or abused to come out swinging and ready to fight.

Years ago in a Preparatory School the students got into a small riot. W hen sanity returned, some parents threatened to take their sons out o f school and drum some sense into them. However, one wise father sent his son a telegram: “Steady, boy, steady.”

T he affairs o f a General Fraternity are complex and often try ­ ing. Alumni relations leave lots of room for misinterpretations.

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Undergraduate communications can be misunderstood. Questions o f membership, expansion, and Board action can create panic.

Fortunate is the Fraternity which through its history during war, depression, unemployment, and inflation has had “the non­ rattle mood.”

Fortunate is the Fraternity which elects Trustees, appoints Dis­ trict Chiefs and Officers who are conditioned to “the non-rattle mood.”

T he long record o f our Fraternity is one o f being steady. W e have not become rattled nor have we set off a panic when we have faced difficult times and painful decisions.

The present generation o f undergraduate Betas would do well to remember that they are in a Fraternity which does not go off in rages or tantrums, but rather says, “Steady, boy, steady.” It would be well for young Betas to know that when they take over the offices, make the decisions and lead the Fraternity, they will serve most effectively if they emulate the leaders o f the past and like them are men o f “the non-rattle mood.”

October 1962

Can They Be Wrong?

N CE again fraternities are coming under the lash o f those who hate them and would, if they could, decimate them.

A special feature in The N ew York Times Magazine was written by a David Boroff. T he w riter told of the death knell to fraternities at Williams College and elsewhere.

President Eddy o f Chatham College for Women delivered an address calling for the elimination o f “the worn-out system of fraternities.” His theme seemed to be, “ G et rid o f fraternities, or higher education cannot succeed.”

In regard to the first w riter, one wonders about the experience o f the author. Did he ever belong to a real chapter where men had high regard for each other, worked for high scholarship, de­ veloped men in leadership and were gripped by the noblest ideals?

Did he ever have membership in a great and good fraternity? Did he ever serve as an officer or a trustee o f a fraternity, which was ceaselessly busy to quicken and inspire young men to useful and honorable living?

T he second w riter reminds one o f the position o f many religious fanatics. Men have said, “ If this dogma isn’t believed, religion has no validity.” Others once said, “ If the Volstead Act is repealed, there is no hope for Christianity.”

A ny person has the right to say, “ If this dogma or article o f the Creed isn’t professed, religion is not valid for m e.” No one has the right so to speak fo r all other men.

Fraternities may be considered an abomination for the person so believing. However, no person has the right to say that fraternities are an abomination for total education and all other persons or that if fraternities are not abolished, university and college life are doomed.

T he whole cast o f demons is brought on to the stage again.

Fraternities are undemocratic. Fraternities have wild parties.

Fraternities take too much o f a student’s time. Fraternities do not foster high grades.

H ow can fraternities be undemocratic when state legislatures

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and college administrations have ruled there can be no restrictive clauses? (Can’t men and women select their own friends, colleges, churches, President, Governor, Senator?) N o real fraternity officer sanctions wild parties. W hat goes on in dormitories and student apartments without a word from university or press? H ow about the time taken by athletics and social action groups? W h y not mention the high scholastic record o f many fraternities and fra­ ternity chapters?

Can all the outstanding men and women in this nation who had a great fraternity experience, loved and still love their fraternity, serve it for decades without money or price be so wrong? No, they cannot be. T hey have had nothing to say against nonfraternity col­ leges or persons. T hey have been the victims o f the most bitter prejudice and animosity based on half-truths o f almost any group in our land.

W ere higher education today more certain o f its own case and more sure where it is going or wants to go, perhaps there would be more willingness on the part o f fraternity leaders to take educa­ tional leaders as the Law and the Prophets.

T he best answer to the person who cries for the burial o f fra­ ternities is, “Physician, heal thyself.”

Too much o f what ails an institution o f learning is passed on to Fraternity Row as an incurable malady o f fraternities.

February 1963

The Souls o f the Builders IBBON in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire tells in detail o f Constantine’s almost unbelievable desire to fashion and build a new capital which would be an eternal monument to him. Constantinople was the result o f the Emperor’s over-riding ambition and insufferable pride.

Gibbon devotes almost a chapter to his fascinating description of how the new capital was built. N o amount o f money was spared.

Endless laborers and artisans were drawn to the city to hasten the construction. It was a scene o f monuments, lavish buildings, and unbounded extravagance. Some o f the treasures o f art were brought from the known art centers o f that age. Looking at the scene G ib­ bon is true to his amazing perception and appreciation o f the foibles o f man. H e says the city contained all forms o f expressions o f artistic creations but the one thing the new capital lacked was the souls o f the artists who had been the creators. In other words, the C ity o f Constantine had everything that could meet the eye—but no living soul.

Is there any lesson more important for our day? Is not so much o f life external and lacking the souls o f men who made us the kind o f Nation we are?

T he fraternity cannot long exist if it does not do something to prevent the very thing which Gibbon records happened in the reign o f Constantine.

W hat good is it to have a fraternity o f international scope in 1963 if the souls o f the founders are not resident in it?

W hat do a group o f general officers amount to if they have not souls which are sensitive to what a fraternity should preserve and perpetuate?

W hat good is it to have a $400,000 chapter house if those who bask in its magnificence are only bodies not animated by any soul power?

T he threat to our age is enormous. T he through way is the soul­ less road. T he giant corporation run from two thousand miles away rarely warms the soul o f man. T he skyscraper into which

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men swarm at 9 a .m . and out o f which they pour at 5 p . m . can symbolize the lonely crowd.

One should look to education as that which has in it the domi­ nant desire to keep in all human construction and enterprise souls, not just minds and bodies. Education, the daughter o f religion, should realize the direction it must take is to teach men not to build something that is without the soul of the builder. This is one reason why in man’s experience external wealth and magnificence can be empty and shallow.

T he fraternity finds itself in an educational institution. Every­ thing in the fraternity should be colored by education. T he fra­ ternity chapter cannot be a real chapter unless actively it insists that the current o f education flows through it. T he chapter, then, that has wisdom and depth will be one which sees to it that it builds nothing and possesses nothing which is devoid o f the souls of the builders or creators.

No worse indictment could be made than to have even an unseen hand record that the college fraternity o f 1963 was a work which represented the building o f many decades but it no longer possessed the souls o f the builders.

October 1963

Unmercenary Love H E Medieval Mystics had, I think, the concept of what would make the most religious person. They believed in “ the unmercenary love o f G od.”

T he unmercenary love of God meant to them loving God with­ out any expectation o f reward for loving Him and without any fear of punishment for not loving Him. T he unmercenary love of God is loving God to love Him—nothing more, nothing less.

In the same way the Scientist in his search for Truth, no matter what it costs, practices the unmercenary love o f Truth. He loves T ruth as T ruth—facts as facts—nothing more, nothing less.

It may sound almost sacrilegious and naive to jump from the un­ mercenary love o f God and the unmercenary love o f T ruth to the unmercenary love of one’s Fraternity. Nevertheless, I have the boldness to make the leap.

N o doubt many men have received material benefits from their love o f their Fraternity. These benefits could be undergraduate life in a fine Chapter House, recognition, acceptance and office and comradeship deepening into life-long friendship.

Also men have known heartaches from their love of their Fra­ ternity. These could be that one was never elected to office, one was dejected by returning to his campus and finding the Chapter House near a shambles and the Chapter composed of undergradu­ ates who had no responsibility, regard, or spirit when it came to Chapter or Fraternity.

Perhaps it is too much to be taught generally and too much to be grasped by the rank and file. However, there can be, I am per­ suaded, the unmercenary love of one’s Fraternity. It is loving the Fraternity as the Fraternity—nothing more, nothing less.

T he unmercenary love o f the Fraternity (if practiced by only one man) lifts the Fraternity experience to a level the detractor of Fraternities can never reach and can never assault for no weapon has been forged to assault it.

I am o f the deep conviction that Beta T heta Pi has had members over many decades who have had for it an unmercenary love.

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A rt o f Adjustment Y BETA EXPERIENCE has taught me that I have a two­ fold Beta acquaintanceship. T he first is comprised o f all the Betas I have met and known from my undergraduate days up to the present time. T he second is made up o f Betas I have not met, but have come to know through letters which they have addressed to me and which I have always tried to answer.

W ith the Betas I have met and know I have ample opportunity to attempt to answer questions which they raise about the Fra­ ternity, its History, its operation, its policy and its reason for being. V ery often the Betas I have not met or known personally will write me about something which evokes from them the ex­ clamation, “Things sure weren’t like that when I was an under­ graduate in college!” T o which I must make total assent. W hen some o f us were in college the automobile, the airplane, the radio and countless other things were just beginning to be recognized.

T he United States of America was entirely different. It would take one all day to reach from N ew York C ity some place in the nearby Catskill or Adirondack Mountains if he hoped to pass a two-week vacation in the uplands.

I need not compare the differences between decades, college generations, pre-automobile and post-automobile and pre-atomic and post-atomic worlds. I can raise my voice in amazement that those o f us who are spinning out the years as Alumni have been able to adjust ourselves so well to the modern campus and chapter house. It is equally amazing that almost universally in our under­ graduate chapters there is real avidity to know the H istory, Lore, M yths, Stories, and Romantic tales related to past years o f fra­ ternity life.

So often there comes to my attention those who say, “ I’m glad I was in the chapter when I was, for I’m sure we enjoyed the best time to be in college.” T h at evaluation is not only honest, but an evaluation to be cherished. The boy o f today could not understand chapter life in the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s any more than men o f those

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years could fit themselves into the present tempo and mores o f an active chapter.

T he wise person who is a member o f our Fraternity and the wise person who enjoys the fruits o f his wisdom values and practices the art o f adjustment. H e has learned that adjustment means giving up something one holds very dear, taking hold o f something new and going on just as bravely with it. H e knows also that the most foolish thing to do is to try to transplant oneself into a day and generation not his own. For only grief, despair, and cynicism can result from the attempt. H e knows as he looks at his Fraternity, Beta T heta Pi, that it presents one o f the most concrete evidences o f human values he can find. H ere is an Association o f men o f dif­ ferent ages, backgrounds, nationalities, and faiths who without losing their individuality have found loyalty and allegiance to an associated, mutual effort. This Association itself has lived for twelve and a half decades, changing, feeling external pressures, stirred by internal eruptions, but never losing its shape, meaning, purpose, and endurability.

T he Beta who enjoys the highest return from his Fraternity can appreciate it in transit and can realize that his life and time in the Fraternity are in transit as well. H e comes to appreciate the moment that is or the year that is or the four years that are what­ ever the personal experience may be, but he comes to know that the Fraternity lives from one generation to another because its abiding continuum rests upon ideals and values. These never become warped or out o f shape because they are of the very substance of that without which there can be no high value or high prizes to be won in life’s arena.

February 1964

A n Unwritten Book HIS is a story about one man, but it is also a story that could be repeated countless times. It is a story which makes those who understand realize again the strange alchemy o f the influence of a fraternity chapter on one life.

Larry Conover entered Penn State in 1915. H e was a naturalborn athlete and through one o f the coaches had been urged to come to college. On reaching the campus he reported to the Field House.

It happened that some o f the members o f the Beta Chapter were there when he arrived. As these men now in advanced years tell the story, L arry Conover was one o f the rawest, crudest human beings they had seen. However, something in him flashed through to them. T hey took him to the Chapter House. Later he was pledged and initiated. During the years that followed when he was an undergraduate he became not only a star athlete but an out­ standing person. Before he graduated he told a member of the Chapter that he had a $2,500 Life Insurance policy. H e knew he could never repay the Chapter for all it had done for him. H ow ­ ever, he had made the policy payable to the Chapter.

For several summers Larry Conover had been a Life Guard at Jersey Coast resorts. T he summer after his senior year, while serving in this capacity, he saved the life o f a young man who was drowning and in so doing lost his own life.

T he Insurance Policy was paid to the Chapter and the money over all these years has been kept intact that each year the interest from it might be awarded to an undergraduate in memory o f Larry Conover.

Countless men have been transformed as was this man. The number is legion of those who in some chapter found growth, de­ velopment, and polish. N o record records what chapters o f all fraternities have done for the inexperienced, lonely, and frightened youth who was accepted as a Brother.

T he tragedy is that anti fraternity talk has some basis in fact.

Like every other institution, government, education, and church

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included, there are things that are unfortunate and could be im­ proved in fraternity life.

T he Book that has not been written and perhaps should be written is about the tens o f thousands of boys who arrived on some campus scared to death. T hey were very young. They had left home for the first time. T hey were homesick. They wondered whether to stick it out. Then something happened. T hey were invited to a fraternity house. They met other young fellows of their class and older classmen. T hey were invited to join a fra­ ternity and they did. A new world opened to them. T hey found new meaning in college. T hey sensed an expanding life for them­ selves. T hey discovered that others were interested in them. They realized they were part o f a great heritage. T hey felt impelled to carry on the tradition o f their Chapter and Fraternity.

Four years later they were different human beings. T hey knew they could never repay their debt to their Chapter. They knew it had played a large part in making them what they were. They knew they had found life-long friends. They realized that through membership they had been given both a privilege and an honor.

I said this Book had not been written—on second thought it would be better if it weren’t. It is better that these stories are not in cold type but rather arise out of the deepest feelings that have been known by men like Larry Conover.

M arch 1964

Fair Play A N has had a fairly long residence on earth. He is man and carries with him the weaknesses and frailties o f being man. T he Bible in its early chapters shows us what happened in the case of Adam and Eve. Men have been dwelling on our continent for a long time. The Pilgrims were Puritans who came to get away from the licentious­ ness o f their home and associates. It was soon after these new arrivals had come here that they began to found colleges, like William and M ary and Harvard. In these colleges, there have ex­ isted for over a century and a half G reek-letter fraternities. These have been made up o f human beings and have shown the virtues and the evils of the human mind, passions, and emotions.

The fraternities grew in size and number into what is known as “T he G reeks,” “The G reek System” and “ Greek-letter Fra­ ternities.” T he history o f the Greek-letter Fraternity has not been an easy one. T he fraternity must admit that it has done many things to arouse criticism and censure. It must also be aware o f the fact that few things in this country have been more readily pounced upon by more biased and prejudiced critics. So the fraternity is loved by many who have known its full rewards, and it is despised by many who simply think it is a ridiculous, outmoded, childish institution that somehow has continued to exist when it should have been buried long ago.

W henever a fraternity chapter gets into any trouble, one can be sure no mercy will be shown by administration, faculty, and news media. I for one believe in mercy, but I do not believe in covering up genuine proof o f wrongdoing. I would ask that the same exact measures be applied to the total campus life and not just to fra­ ternities. T hat would be fair play and true democracy.

W henever one chapter or one fraternity is guilty o f misconduct, the entire fraternity system is again smeared and it will take a hundred good deeds by fraternities to eradicate even some o f the unfavorable feeling the unfortunate occurrence created.

Knowing the grave danger fraternities are in I have thought

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about some positive steps. I certainly think colleges and universi­ ties should be asked to lay down a rule o f behavior for parties and gatherings which applies to every form o f campus life. Then, if infraction takes place, punishment should be meted out to any group and the same bitter things which are said about fraternities should be said about any campus organization, if applicable.

I think fraternities should hold before their members and chap­ ters the highest ideals and have rigid rules about morals and con­ duct. N o one can enforce morality but a declaration o f principle can be made. Each fraternity should do this—boldly and clearly.

N ow when fraternity people get together and there is drinking, intimacy, rioting, and all the things mentioned in the news media, a clarion call should go out from the fraternities themselves. They should say, we do not approve of this. W e condemn it. However, we have not lost our perspective. W e know that man is man, youth is youth, and often what begins as an innocent affair ends in a disgraceful brawl. W e also want to say that we wish that col­ leges would take a stand in many cases on undergraduate drinking.

W e wish some colleges would realize they allow students o f op­ posite sexes to entertain in dormitory rooms. W e also are quite eager to have parents come forward and say to fraternity leaders— we will join you in enforcing moral principles and noble ideals on our sons and daughters.

T he tragedy o f any time is when men do not think clearly and soberly. There is a need today for persons, who with broad minds, can evaluate a college generation, a student body, G reek-letter Fraternities, student behavior and parties, and come up with sound conclusions, honest criticism, positive suggestions. Needed is big­ ness of mind to see that what makes a bad situation better is a better means o f inspiration to be caught and transformed into daily life.

June 1964

A Guiding Star H E three stars are part of Beta T heta Pi. T hey add lustre to our Coat o f Arms and Badge and provide inspiration in our songs.

Once when the Fraternity was confronted with a vexing situa­ tion I happened to say, “ I believe we were born under the right star and we will come out of this.” W e did emerge not only un­ scathed but wiser and stronger.

As time has passed in speeches and conversation I have referred to “ the star under which we were born.” Persons who have heard me make this statement have come to say when we have been at some anxious point, “ Remember that star.”

W hen we think o f our Eight Founders, their concept o f a Fra­ ternity, our unbroken line of leaders, our wise expansion, and our achievements, we must have been born under the right star.

T he Fourth Star is a picturesque symbol to fascinate and enliven our thoughts. “ W e can thank our stars.” W e can believe we have “a lucky star.” W e can say, “Star dust fell on us.”

W e need to keep the sober rationalism o f Calvin Coolidge, “ Fate bestows its rewards on them who put themselves in the proper attitudes to receive them.” O ur Fraternity was founded by men who put themselves in the proper attitudes to receive the reward o f the brave young dream o f enduring and life-long friend­ ships. O ur leaders have had the proper attitude to take from past leaders their gifts and multiply these before handing them on.

O ur Chapters and Undergraduates, which have excelled, put them­ selves in the proper attitude to receive the inspiration o f our ideals, the compelling force o f our mutual association, and the cohesive ties o f a common gratitude for a common endowment.

T he Fourth Star has influenced our history. Those who have believed that we have been not only richly blest but capable of using wisely our blessings have seen the growth o f a great and good Fraternity. It has been the attitude to appreciate a superior association with other men which has been a motivating power to keep our friendships and fidelities on a superior plane.

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Through external problems, unfair interference in our affairs, unjust criticism, we must believe in the attitude o f self respect, dignity and behavior, the hallmark of what brought us into, and kept us in, existence.

T he principles o f the Greek-letter fraternity will enable it to endure. There is a guiding star over young people who wish to associate and affiliate. There are the ties formed among under­ graduates which are stronger than the general associations o f cam­ pus life. There are those who believe they can do better in their intellectual pursuits joined with others in the endeavor and there are those young people who wish to feel closeness in helping one another. W ere all fraternities to be done away with tomorrow the cry would go up for them to be founded. T hey are not abnormali­ ties o f campus life; they are normal expressions one would expect to be given encouragement.

It is a curious thing that there should be so many who seek de­ light or relief from some sense of guilt by pouring their invectives on fraternities. T he fact is fraternities will exist because there will be the demand for them. In our case we should think often o f the Fourth Star under which we were born. But above all, let us fully understand there will be no right for us to endure unless we follow the light of common sense, lofty purpose and deep, abiding affec­ tion for one another which this Star sheds.

O ctober 1964

A Fraternity Is People H A T is a fraternity? It is peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;just people. There is no mystery or secret about what a fraternity is. T he Demo­ cratic Party, Republican Party and every party, organization, society or club is people come together for some reason. The fraternity is people who make up a corporate body.

T he fraternity being people is subject to everything people think and do. People have feelings, passions, virtues, weaknesses, foibles, loyalties, good and bad judgment, likes and dislikes.

There are those critics of and commentators on fraternities who discuss them without any allowance for the human context in which everything finds itself. These persons forget people in fra­ ternities are the same people who make up a student body, a family, a Synagogue, a Church and a neighborhood.

One can expect from fraternities just what he would expect from people. This is so because people in fraternities are people from homes, schools, churches, villages, towns and cities.

Fraternities as people must meet the test o f how decent people should behave. In this regard there is no fraternity which does not promote ideals of intellectual attainment and increased growth in noble character.

People who are the membership of fraternities are encouraged to follow ideals, become more and more exacting about their own behavior, and to live usefully, nobly and wisely.

Fraternities being made up o f people get their share o f people who are ill-bred, vulgar, indecent, immoral and amoral. Alas, some people are like that!

Fraternities also are composed o f people o f character and aboveaverage ethical standards. Such people are not afraid o f life. They walk with heads high. They do not take a Fifth Amendment on the subject o f fraternities. T hey admit wrong because it is wrong.

They nevertheless recognize how much the guidance, teachings and spirit of some fraternity touching them in formative years did for them. They know the ever-increasing riches through the friendships which have endured through fraternal association.

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Such persons in their fraternity experience met people whose lustrous lives rubbed off on them.

T he fraternity may have a G reek name, chapter houses, alumni, endowment funds, hold conventions and print its publications, but it is people. These people may “ walk in darkness” or “ have seen great light.” T heir path may be through Sodom, down Main Street, on a campus walk or along what the Apostle calls “ a more excel­ lent w ay.”

T he world, our nation, our university, our church, and our fra­ ternity will always be just what people make it. Therefore, there is no human organization or society which is any better than the people who compose it.

M any years o f close association and work with Fraternity men and Sorority women leave me unafraid to give the strongest vote o f confidence I can give to the people who lead, w ork for, and take justifiable pride in their Badge and Greek name.

January 1965

The Fraternity Way N E o f the greatest interpreters o f the Bible has said, “The Bible is a book of motion.” T rue, the Bible cannot be read without one’s getting the feeling that man is moving toward some­ thing. One of the most common expressions in the Bible is “The W ay .” In the Old Testament and in the N ew Testament there are constant references to “T he W ay .” One recalls “T he way of holiness,” “ the way everlasting,” “ the way o f righteousness.”

Again, the earliest name given Christianity, the Daughter religion of Judaism, was “The W ay .”

In constant usage is “ O ur W ay o f Life.” This usage carries an implicit idea of a well-worn and beaten path. “ O ur W ay o f Life” has behind it history and the unconscious development o f habits which became ingrained. M ost o f the things one does are done from habit. Therefore, there is not only the chronic alcoholic, but the chronic gentleman.

The college fraternity has been in motion since the founding of Phi Beta Kappa in 1776. T he fraternity has come a long way and has passed through many stages—the Literary Society, the first Chapter Room over the store on Main Street, the first converted Chapter House, the large neo-classic mansion on Fraternity Row, college housing and college supervision. Few things have passed through more radical changes and survived than fraternities.

One who thinks seriously today in his devotion to the fraternity knows no one can predict what may befall the fraternity in the future. Some persons think fraternities will die out in a decade or two. O ther persons think they will exist only on a friendly campus.

Still other persons believe they will come under complete Uni­ versity domination and exist merely as a college-supervised activ­ ity.

W hatever the future holds there is no doubt that the fraternity has represented a way o f college life. There is no denying that critics o f fraternities can find in that way vulnerable spots. There is no question that many fraternity members have made that way a distortion from its original purpose. There is the further fact that

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many persons with no personal experience in a fraternity see in it only a way that is undemocratic, unfair, immoral, and archaic.

Beyond and above the present situation in which fraternities find themselves they need not be on the defensive. T hey have more to say that is positive about their way than do their critics. T hey can still talk sensibly about “ the fraternity w ay.” It is a difficult way, but one in which countless persons still believe. It is measuring up to the test to be selected by fellow students to be pledged. It is an Initiation through a Ritual which is based solely on intellectual, moral, and spiritual pursuits. It is building lasting friendships. It is fidelity to one’s friends. It is doing one’s share in group or corpo­ rate effort. T he way leads to developing leadership, team play, justifiable pride in victory, and a stout heart in defeat.

The fraternity way can begin in a man’s teens and be followed as long as he lives. It is a way o f loyalty to an historic group which has found for more than a century deep satisfaction in common en­ deavor. T he way leads to duty and responsibility to younger men.

T he way sometimes leads to disappointment when things are not what they should be. T he way leads, if one understands it, not on a march where all one does is look at his own feet, the ruts and pebbles. Rather, it is a way along which one raises his eyes to the light that ever shines from things which are nobler because they have spiritual value. Because on this way many have seen the stars which have guided them, they know the good fortune which set their feet to go in this way.

March 1965

Who Are They?

N 1964 I addressed the National Panhellenic Conference at H ot Springs, Arkansas, and the National Interfraternity Conference in N ew York City. The total attendance was far in excess of 1,000 persons.

Since I had the privilege of addressing these two conferences 1 have often asked myself, who were these people I addressed and did I run a real risk in going among them? I had warning for I had read and heard so many awful things about sororities and fraterni­ ties. Had I exposed myself to contamination? W ere these people sane citizens and were they to be trusted?

T he passing months have strengthened the lingering impression that at H ot Springs and in New York C ity I had met and visited with outstanding ladies and gentlemen from all over the United States and Canada.

T he ladies I had met were daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, and grandmothers. T hey were loyal American and Canadian citizens. T hey were leaders in their churches, charitable and civic organizations, Red Cross, YWCA, and all the honorable societies women join and then make succeed.

T he men who gathered in New York City for the N IC were sons, brothers, husbands, fathers, and grandfathers. T hey were men who in their own right had achieved success. T hey were in executive positions in business, industry, and banking. T hey were leading educators, lawyers, clergymen, doctors, and engineers.

H ere were men and women who had attacked no worthy and honorable association or society existing in their country or com­ munity. Yet for years these men and women had been, through their fraternity and sorority membership, victims o f misrepresen­ tation, bitterness and plain mischief-making from the press, feature writers, and advocates o f the leveler’s dream and process.

A t both of these Conferences I realized that I belonged to all sororities and fraternities. For each one, like all the rest, was an association created on ideals. Each believed in intellectual attain­ ment and character-growth in its individual members.

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There came to mind an interesting experiment which might be conducted. Let those persons who violently oppose fraternities and sororities choose the organization which is dearest to them and closest to their ideals. Then take the history and membership of that organization and measure it with the history and membership of our great sororities and fraternities. I predict it would be an unforgettable experience to see how our college sororities and fraternities shine, and how productive their fruits have been.

I am also aware that certain institutions are slowly but surely forcing fraternities and sororities from the campus which they represent. It is my personal opinion that the day may well come when such institutions will awaken to the fact that they deliber­ ately abolished something which had great value for the student in college and in his later life.

For years I have watched the internal operation o f a college fraternity. T h at fraternity is a century and a quarter old. It has had nearly one hundred thousand members. It has brought together young men on more than one hundred campuses in the United States and Canada. It has built up funds in the millions o f dollars.

Yet this is secondary to the character which I have seen in exis­ tence. This fraternity has not been two-faced. It has not resorted to the devious method. It has admitted its faults, weaknesses, and disappointments. Beyond and above this, here is an association of men ever striving for self-improvement and higher attainment in scholarship, morals, leadership, and usefulness. It is safe to aver that this latter statement can not be made about many institutions and organizations today.

June 1965

On Recollections H E College Fraternity and Sorority as much as any institu­ tion or organization calls for endless speakers and innumer­ able articles. T he Fraternity or Sorority is speaker prone and al­ ways strong in the area of the printed word.

As one who has been guilty on far too many occasions o f speak­ ing about Fraternities and writing about them, I am both fully aware of the trend and I am, I suppose, quite immodest about my own part in this phenomenon.

W e have all, at chapter houses, District Conclaves, General Conventions, and interfraternity gatherings, heard the occasional speaker and the banquet speaker. This speaker might have been a college president, college dean, head o f a foundation, president o f a corporation, clergyman, or government official. W e have read our own magazine and the publications o f other fraternities and sorori­ ties. M any o f the articles could be switched from one magazine to another.

Speaking in public has its genesis in giving one person the op­ portunity to say what he would say to each person in the crowd if there were time or opportunity. T he one speaking to the many is a form of economy and expediting conversation. T he printed word is that means whereby the w riter may call upon countless persons he cannot talk to, to read in type his expressions on some subject.

T he fraternity themes have to do with rushing, pledge-training, presentation of the ritual, scholarship, chapter finance and public relations with the administration, community and campus. W hen alumni come together they are usually told how well the old fra­ ternity is doing, who the new officers are, why dues have been raised, and why the magazine didn’t tell about the promotion of brother Jones to the presidency o f the Acme Supervising Com­ pany. A t the interfraternity level there comes up for discussion the behavior of the foes o f fraternities, government interference, selec­ tion o f members, university housing, and the various ultimatums that have been thrown in the teeth o f fraternities and sororities.

One who has spent a good many years watching the fraternity

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system on our Continent and working with it at times is caused to do some serious thinking. H e sometimes wonders about the han­ dling by speakers and writers of many of the themes which are so well-known. In some moment of wild imagination, when he per­ mits himself to break with tradition, he may wonder about ques­ tions like these. W hy don’t fraternities hasten to get into institu­ tions of higher learning in Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, the Maritime Provinces and, for that matter, England, France, Germany, and Sweden? W h y is there not a push to develop chapters through the junior colleges? W h y isn’t there a merger of more fraternities and sororities? W hy is publicity so poorly handled on the total good done, and selfless service rendered, by fraternities and sororities?

This would run from help to handicapped children to hundreds of thousands of dollars of scholarship assistance. Again, why is it that in the land of the free the one thing we should be most free for— our coming together with our most cherished friends and associ­ ates—should be almost immoral, indecent, and sinful?

Back to the theme of the fraternity speaker and writer, I venture to say that the one universally overlooked theme, and yet, most universally important, is recall. This is one of the greatest gifts chapter life and after-chapter life bequeath to one who is a member.

It is recall with great satisfaction of being pledged, initiated, and living in a chapter house. It is recalling chapter members, returning alumni, traditions and myths which were handed down. It is re­ calling great hours spent together, persons who enriched one’s life, mutual assistance, the bonds that held one together in an associa­ tion o f which he was justifiably proud. It is the recall of how much one would never have received or known had it not been for his fraternity membership.

It might be that fraternity and sorority speakers and writers have neglected one of the most important things the public should know about us. There are so many, many things so well remem­ bered by us who knew what it meant to be in the dear old halls.

October 1965

Positively Speaking RA TER N ITIES came into being as the Greek-letter out­ growth of the College Literary Society. T he early 19th Cen­ tury was Classical oriented. T he G reek influence was dominant in college and university teaching and thinking in the United States.

A t first the fraternities were thought o f as natural forms of student organization. There then followed a period when on some campuses fraternities had to exist sub rosa. This status ended, fraternities emerged and a period of vast expansion and growth took place.

W orld W ar I ended one concept of life in the United States and Canada which has disappeared into history. A t the same time what was known as “T he F rat” idea ceased to be.

T he major change in campus life began with W orld W ar II and no end is in sight. W hither? is the question every educator and student is asking.

Fraternities have always faced some opposition, animosity, hostility, and antifraternity feeling. Some o f this has been fully justified, but a great deal o f it is completely ill-founded and, if studied, makes no sense.

Probably the greatest error fraternities have made is to be on the defensive. T hey have tried to fend off those who have opposed them instead o f paying little attention to such persons and making clear the positive record of fraternities at their best.

Let us look at some o f the positive things which can be said about sound, progressive, useful, creative fraternities.

1. Some of them have been in continuous existence for nearly a century and a half.

2. On many campuses for decades fraternities furnished the only decent housing and the only recreation on the campus where they existed. T hey long predated dormitories, student centers, stadia and outing clubs.

3. Fraternities have spent millions and millions of dollars in providing housing.

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4. T he history of many colleges cannot be w ritten without writing the history o f a given chapter or chapters on that campus.

5. Fraternities provided a training ground for group dynamics, house management, leadership training, and competition.

6. Fraternities provided intercollegiate friendships and experi­ ence through chapters often on more than 100 other campuses.

7. Fraternities provided members with a common experience of singing the same songs, wearing the same Badge, taking the same vows, and receiving the same publications.

8. Fraternities provided a sense o f on-goingness through the alumni o f a chapter and certainly a unique experience at their an­ nual conventions. Through the latter there has been a mingling of men o f different ages and from different colleges and universities.

For many this has provided a rich and memorable experience.

9. T he fraternities have done an enormous amount o f com­ munity, charitable, and welfare work. This has extended from an entire chapter being blood donors to adopting orphan children on an adoption plan.

10. T he list could be extended ad infinitum. Tim e and space do not permit such a procedure. Therefore, the final and most sig­ nificant thing the fraternity has to say positively to society will conclude this Inter Fratres. T he fraternity (and this can be said of countless of them) has produced men who have been the leaders in every walk of life. Let any college or university which has had fraternities take the roll of its alumni and see who have been its most loyal servants, most faithful alumni, largest donors and had the greatest number o f buildings, fellowships, and chairs named for them. T he overwhelming percentage are fraternity men.

T he day is here when any person has the right not to join a fra­ ternity and any educational institution has the right to ask fra­ ternities to leave its campus. T he day is also here when fraternity men should tell their story, produce their record, and make clear the tremendous contribution fraternities have made to the lives of their individual members and the enormous contribution these individual members have often made to the common good and life of man.

N ovem ber 1965

A Candle o f Understanding H E Book of Esdras, found in two parts in The Apocrypha, is not well-known. However, some o f the most inspiring thoughts ever expressed by man appear in the Books of The Apocrypha as out-croppings o f sensitive minds and hearts. So it is that the w riter in Esdras speaks of, “A candle of understanding in thine heart, which shall not be put out.” It is interesting that the candle is used as a figure of speech, it is placed within the heart, and it is stated that the light o f the candle o f understanding shall not be put out.

As we evaluate the present fraternity situation there is probably no one who knows what the future holds. Let there be no doubt the future o f fraternities can go one way or the other very quickly.

M oreover, the wise person will be prepared for unexpected future developments.

It does appear that the w riter o f Esdras has a message for us who are involved in fraternity life. H e speaks o f understanding which shall not be put out. There is the danger that no end o f trouble the fraternity suffers today revolves around understanding. T he nega­ tive side is misunderstanding. Perhaps this misunderstanding has been given far too much support. Be that as it may there is no question that fraternities have been guilty o f not trying to under­ stand a College Administration, the wild growth o f the student population, changed mores, and the nature of their opponents. It is equally true that from the University standpoint there has been little understanding o f the expenditure o f effort and devotion on the part o f sincere fraternity leaders. T here has been lack o f under­ standing o f the graduate who still admires his fraternity, and the undergraduate who thinks fraternity men should not always be blamed for things which other members o f the student body do without University condemnation. There has been a failure to understand that many fraternity leaders admit fraternities are not perfect; nevertheless, they say nothing is perfect (education, government, politics, business, the church). In regard to their system, they ask their opponents to propose a better one. T hey are

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like Bruce Bairnsfather’s A lf in the famous W orld W ar I cartoon who said to his companion in a shell hole in Flanders, “ / / you can find a better ’ole, go to it.”

T he candle o f understanding has to do with the life o f a given chapter. It is here that the validity and value o f fraternity member­ ship is tested. Can the undergraduate understand not just the his­ tory and lore of his fraternity, but can he understand the duties and responsibilities which membership has brought? Can he understand that his fraternity is encouraging him to participate in total Uni­ versity life? Can he understand that he is supposed to be exemplary in his manner and behavior, according to the ideals o f his frater­ nity? Can he understand that he helps form the image his chapter gives? T he indubitable fact remains that fraternity chapters must have enough understanding to realize that those who behold them often understand them by outward appearances alone. It therefore behooves the fraternity man to show certain marks o f refinement, dignity, and culture which could be understood by those who saw them as being the traits o f a person who was trying to make life a most valuable adventure.

Finally, understanding depends very largely on another factor— communication. One may understand his own feelings about his own fraternity membership and why he thinks college men should enjoy a similar experience, but can he make the person to whom he speaks understand what he is saying? One who has travelled extensively from campus to campus and addressed countless gatherings of undergraduates and pledges knows that in the first tw o or three minutes he must overcome the skepticism and “ you show me” o f his audience. But once the speaker can communicate his understanding to those who are listening an amazing awakening takes place. So it is that this candle of understanding must be lighted. Once lighted it must be a candle that will burn, and which has within it the power to give a glow which cannot be put out because it is a light which man not only needs but must have.

M ay 1966

A Fruitful Field N T H E 17th chapter of Ezekiel there is a fascinating story. It has to do with a great eagle. It perched on the highest branches of a cedar. Cropping off the top young twigs it carried them into a land o f traffic. It also took “ the seed of the land and planted it in a fruitful field and by great w aters.”

One can well think of the application of this ancient account to the College Fraternity.

Beta T heta Pi began in Oxford, Ohio. It was “ carried into a land of traffic.” Its seed was “ planted” in more than a hundred places and it grew.

T he w riter in Ezekiel uses a phrase which sounds beautiful, but arouses concern. H e says “in a fruitful field and by great w aters.”

H ere is the meaning our Fraternity has found.

T he soil has to be ripe and fruitful for the life and development of a fraternity.

First, time must afford a fruitful field. This was so for many decades. However, if our time or any future time is not fruitful for a fraternity, the fraternity should refuse to continue.

A campus must provide a fruitful field. W here a campus is hostile to fraternities, takes away their right to be a fraternity and legislates them into a club with three G reek letters, the fraternity should withdraw.

There is no use in granting charters to groups which are not “ a fruitful field.” T he group which wants us to conform to their de­ mands is no bargain. T he local group must provide soil in which the seed o f our ideals will grow and bear fruit.

But most important, the fraternity has had its largest meaning in lives in which there was 11a fru itfu l field.”

Frankly, a fraternity’s name is exalted by relatively few men who are its leaders over the decades. T hey personify the fruits of the seeds planted in their lives. All fraternities know “ the great ones.”

Beyond and above all the evident examples o f what the frater­ nity has meant to and done for those who have been its devotees are

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the undisclosed fruitful fields in thousands of lives. For one who has met with, corresponded with, and come to know a large area of our membership there is the constant discovery o f the seed that grew.

It is a bitter truth we face. N o one to carry the seed, no fruitful field, nothing worth planting, and nothing worth growingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the fraternity should wither and die.

However, if the seed is wholesome, the field fruitful, then that seed, carried to distant places and living in succeeding generations, can spring up into fruits meet for thanksgiving.

June 1966

Have They Learned?

N a late spring morning the buzz of children at their lessons came through the open windows o f a one-room schoolhouse near Concord, Massachusetts. Through the open door stepped a man the teacher greeted, “Good morning. M r. Olcott. W o n ’t you speak to the children?”

O lcott began, “Children, what are you here for?” A little girl replied, “Sir, to learn.”

“T o learn what?” asked the guest. “T o learn to behave,” volunteered a small boy.

“T o learn to behave how?” N o answer came. “Children, you are here to learn to behave usefully, nobly, and wisely.” The visitor departed, having made one o f the greatest statements ever made on the reason fo r and the purpose of education.

Standing on the steps o f one of the early buildings at Amherst College, and looking across the valley before us, a friend said to me, “T he men who made this college great chopped their own wood and carried their own water from the well.”

W alter Havighurst closes The Miami Years with the state­ ment, “ It was here they lit the old lamps o f learning and piety in a new country.”

W hen St. Lawrence University was founded in 1856 the speaker said, “H ere we will light a candle in the wilderness.”

Agnes Sligh Turnbull, in The Rolling Years, tells o f an Acad­ emy in W estern Pennsylvania started by a Presbyterian minister with tw o students about the time o f the close of the Civil W ar.

She says, “T he boys from that Academy were destined to be among the ministers, lawyers, captains o f industry, judges, and senators who thirty years later held the fortunes of the country in their hands.”

Today we have the Multiversity. T he campus is a city of huge buildings erected with Federal funds. Student enrollment reaches into the thousands. Grades are recorded by computers. Fraternity houses may cost $400,000. Chapters number a hundred or more members. Student protests and strikes are commonplace.

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College administrations are often uneasy and uncertain. Facul­ ties, with all their salary increases, are rarely the happy men who taught for a lifetime in a small church college. Students come as old young men. By fourteen years o f age they have been to Europe and the Orient, seen everything, had everything, done everything and known all the effects of affluence. So it is that, for the old young men, college holds no thrill or novelty and the fraternity can rarely be comprehended as it was by boys who came to college with far less.

T he words o f Olcott hang over every campus and fraternity chapter. For the indubitable fact is that Amherst College, Miami University, St. Lawrence University, and every university and college on our continent were founded that men and women might learn to behave usefully, nobly and wisely.

This, too, was the purpose of the Greek-letter fraternity. T o ­ gether in mutual bonds—as a brotherhood—young men were to learn behavior which in the world of their after years would make them citizens o f the city of God and the city o f men where useful­ ness, nobility, and wisdom were exalted.

T he challenge to the university, college, and fraternity is both exacting and inspiring. Have those who passed these portals learned to behave usefully, nobly, and wisely? This is the sine qua non, for a negative answer is the acknowledgment o f failure or betrayal.

O ctober 1966

Fraternity Demonstration O TH EY came together. There were eight of them. It was long ago in a little college in a small town in our expanding west. T hey came together at night by prearrangement to carry out serious business. They met this night as eight young men to found a fraternity and to make vows which would last through life.

Looking back to this night, later generations would say, “And so our Fraternity was born.”

This happened hundreds o f times in hundreds o f places. They were different groups and the original number o f men differed, but overall their purposes were the same. T hey wanted a fraternity in which brotherhood would be the binding tie. Looking back we say, “And so G reek-letter Fraternities were born.”

These founders took the noblest name they could conceive.

They fashioned a motto which would express their loftiest thoughts and intentions.

T hey wrote rules which were to be obeyed because they had deep significance for one’s conduct.

T hey chose three or four towering ideals to be their lodestars.

They said we join together in allegiance and loyalty to one an­ other.

T hey said we are now brothers through our vows.

T hey developed a ritual which was to impress upon the initiates the lasting meaning of becoming a part of the brotherhood.

Intellect must be cultivated.

Character must grow in stature.

Mutual aid and assistance must be the signs and seals.

Truth, honor, loyalty, nobility, trust, devotion, and affection were to be promoted and exalted.

Reverence for God and man was the crowning virtue.

Over the years these brotherhoods grew. Men loved and served them and found in them a precious part o f the experience of life.

Today on campus after campus disorder, disrespect are evident.

Nihilistic groups are active and almost terrorizing. Those who com­ pose these groups seek to destroy the educational system. They

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have no regard for decency or positive aims. T hey eschew the past, tradition, ideals, men of character, and vision.

W hat they perform they refer to as demonstrating. Their de­ mands disrupt. T heir very appearance as they march and carry their placards is an agonizing and frightening spectacle.

So fraternities, for so long the target of malice and attack, now begin to look different. Compare the demonstration of the fra­ ternity to the demonstration o f those who on the university cam­ pus seek to destroy. T he demonstration o f the fraternity is silent and inward. Every fraternity has taught its members to uphold and exalt university learning, ideals, right conduct, enduring values, and high aims.

T he sensible man will thank God that long ago there were founders o f Greek-letter college fraternities. These fraternities over the years have professed and preserved ideals. These fra­ ternities have developed real leaders o f men who have taken their place in life and have been the builders of nation, community, home, church, and moral force.

1967

From These Doors H E city looked seedy and grimy. It was only forty miles from a great metropolis and it had never gotten over being a poor relation where small plants and factories had been built.

But there was in the center o f the city a very old college. T he red sandstone buildings were ancient. Later additional buildings had been erected. T hey were nondescript or hideous. (Now a new campus was being built ten miles away.)

T he street was lined on both sides with large detached frame houses dating back to the turn of the century. In these houses the prosperous of the city had once lived. N ow for decades these had been the “ fraternity houses” o f the college.

T oday these houses and the ground around them were far from inviting. T o be frank the street had run down and it all made one think of a dirty, tired child who needed to be given a bath and put to bed.

Inside these houses the floors as one entered from the porch were covered with worn carpets. T he rooms had overstuffed furniture with breaks in the leather. Rickety lamps stood around and the marks o f hard use and wear were on everything. T h e dining room was furnished with austere tables and chairs. It smelled o f decades o f food. T he former card room was now the T V room. In the base­ ment there was a so-called game room and a collection o f things no longer useful but not discarded. T he second and third floors had bedrooms which only an undergraduate could so disorganize and there in retreat study, sleep and perfect idleness to a degree which at this point in his life must have been for him a simulation of Nirvana.

Three hundred miles away amid green hills a small village with a very old small college nestled on the valley floor. T he buildings were uniformly, beautifiilly Colonial. T w o or three buildings o f “ heaven knows what” had been added, but now had come the modem functional to rob the scene o f its uniqueness and to break the spell o f loveliness.

On the broad street, high on terraces stood enormous columned

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Neo-Classic houses—Fraternity Row. T he grounds around the houses were well kept. Inside on the first floor there were spacious rooms with fireplaces and inviting and comfortable furniture. The dining room offered attractive tables which at meal time were attended by waiters. Maids kept the upstairs rooms and made the beds.

These were only two of hundreds of places where chapters of G reek-letter college fraternities “lived, moved, and had their being.”

Forth from these houses over many years had come: Men who would look back on their four years in their chapter as one of the most priceless experiences of their lives.

M en who in the world of affairs would again and again identify themselves by the name of their fraternity.

Men who would devotedly serve their college.

M en who would become officers and leaders of their fraternity.

M en who would never forget the impression the ideals of their fraternity had made upon them when they were boys in their late teens.

M en who learned what deep, abiding, unbroken, rich, and in­ spiring friendship can be.

Men who here learned that in brotherhood men can accomplish things which no man would ever try to accomplish alone or un­ aided.

Forth from these doors came many men who would never think o f their chapters again. Men who would say, “ I never took much interest in my fraternity and I have never been active in it.”

Yes, forth from these doors came men with all the differences found in the commonalty o f man, but the fact remains, and it is now a part o f college and university history, that the Greek-letter fra­ ternity has had a large part in building men. Forth from hundreds o f houses standing near the campus of hundreds of universities have come men who if they were asked to name possessions in life most real and cherished by them would say, “ M y membership in my fraternity.”

1967

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TAw section w ill please many persons who, when leaving a banquet hall in which Seth Brooks has spoken, have said, “I w ish I could have a copy o f that address.” O f the words he has spoken on notable occasions, a selection has been made to include some o f those most frequently mentioned.

Mother o f Men One o f D r. Brooks' best known addresses was the one which was first delivered at the banquet o f the 109th General Convention on A ugust 27, 1948 at Mackinac Island, M ich. Although the title given to it in a subsequent issue o f “The Beta Theta Pi” was “A Good Fraternity ,” it became known as the “Mother o f M en ” address. A t a later convention, the 115th in 1954 on the M iam i campus, the scheduled banquet speaker was unable to appear because o f illness and Seth Brooks was asked to substitute. A t the request o f many he repeated the address which had gained so much acclaim six years before.

A T T H E time o f Mahatma Gandhi’s death I heard a story j l j L which I think I shall never forget. A little English girl saw Gandhi for the first time. She looked at his cadaverous body, the long bony arms and legs, the bald head, the large gold-rimmed eyeglasses, the absence of teeth in the front o f his mouth, the strange white garment he wore and the cheap dollar watch hanging at his side. She looked up and said, “ Mommy, is he really great?”

A newspaper man picked up that story and said, “ Gandhi was a rarer creature than a great man, he was a good man.”

H ow many times on just such an occasion as this many o f us here tonight have heard Shep begin his banquet address with the words, “ Members all o f a great fraternity.” T here is no doubt (and I hope I speak with due modesty and humility) that Beta T heta Pi is a great fraternity. Great in age, its life spanning more than a century. Great in number, thousands o f men have had their names upon its rolls. Great in tradition and lore. Represented in the greatest educational institutions o f this country and Canada.

Great in the long line o f distinguished Betas it has produced. Great in organization, financial attainment, scholastic achievement and in its leadership in the interfraternity world.

I must be frank with you and say, that far more important to me than the question, “ Is this a great fraternity?” is the question, “ Is this a good fraternity?” I mean, is it morally good and spiritu­ ally sound?

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Years ago de Tocqueville visited this country. After returning to his native land he wrote, “ I sought for the greatness of America.

I found it not in her rivers or harbors or cities. N ot in her mills, mines and factories smoking their way to prosperity. Then one day I entered her churches and saw her people at worship and prayer and heard the tongues of her preachers flaming for righ­ teousness’ sake. I knew America was great because America was good. W hen America ceases to be good she will cease to be great.” If ours has been a great fraternity, it has been because it has been good and when it ceases to be good it will cease to be great.

I met Ken Rogers just once. I was the freshman delegate from my chapter to the Convention at the New Ocean House at Swampscott, Mass. H e was a young man and it was shortly before his untimely death. I am glad I knew Ken Rogers for I have ad­ mired so much the Beta songs he wrote. T he one I like best is “T he Marching Song” with its line, “Hail to thee, mother of men.” I once heard a group of Betas discuss why Ken Rogers had not said for a men’s fraternity, “Hail to thee, father o f men,” in­ stead o f “mother of men.” Stanley Hornbeck gave us the answer, I think. You may recall he was a Rhodes Scholar, rose to be head o f the Far Eastern Division o f our State Department and Am­ bassador to T he Netherlands. Stanley Hornbeck said, “ A real mother is always a real teacher and when Ken said, ‘Hail to thee, mother of men,’ he was also saying, ‘Hail to thee, teacher of men.’ ” Shep was a great soul, a great spirit, a great character, a great editor and a great fraternity man. I always think of him, however, as one o f the greatest teachers I ever knew. If he talked of the ritual, wrote in the magazine or spoke at a banquet—he was teaching. Sitting in a hotel lobby, surrounded by a group o f Betas, or in a chapter house surrounded by a group o f undergraduates, Shep was always teaching.

T he best definition I know of a teacher comes from Dr. Halford E. Luccock of the Yale Divinity school. H e said, “A teacher is one who flings down a bunch of keys. Keys which others may pick up and use to open doors which lead out to fields of larger living.” T hat is what this “ teacher o f men” does for us. The

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ritual, the seven obligations, the Badge with the wreath, the dia­ mond and three stars are all teaching us about the business o f use­ ful living.

I once stood in a doctor’s office reading a framed illuminated scroll upon the wall. T he doctor entered the office and said, “ Do you know what that is?” I replied, “ Yes, the Oath o f Hippoc­ rates.” T he doctor said, “T h a t’s the code of a doctor and if all doc­ tors lived up to that there would be no bad doctors.” A t the time a certain man went to Sing Sing prison for dishonesty on the New York Stock exchange, I was talking to a banker in New York who said to me, “T he worst thing about that man is he broke the code of his class.” W ell, it’s a terrible thing to break the code of one’s class.

This Teacher of M en gives us a Code o f G reat and Good Liv­ ing.

It teaches us appreciation and gratitude— these are the measure of a man’s heart. In the Old Testament there is a classic story about Ahab and Naboth. Ahab was rich and Naboth was poor. Ahab wanted N aboth’s vineyard for a garden o f herbs. Naboth had the courage to reply, “ God forbid it me, that I should ever give my father’s inheritance to you.” I like to paraphrase that—God forbid it us that we should ever fail to appreciate the men o f ’39 who said, “ Let us build up a great fraternity.” God forbid it us that we should fail to appreciate that feeling of oneness as we come from the east, the west, the north, and the south shouting, “ Old W ooglin forever!” God forbid it us that we should fail to appreci­ ate the great and good Betas o f the past and the present or that we should fail to be grateful for the rich experience, the expanding interests and larger life we have known just because we are Betas.

In For Whom the Bell Tolls there is the line, “N o man is an island.

All are a part of the main.” N o Beta is an island, he is a part of a glorious brotherhood.

This Teacher o f Men gives us affection— that is the measure of a man's feelings. Affection means feeling for someone or feeling with someone. For ten years I served on the board of T he Lend a Hand Society in Boston, which was founded by Edward Everett Hale, who wrote The Man Without A Country and who said, “Look up, not down, out, not in, forward, not backward—lend a

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hand!” I became deeply interested in Dr. H ale’s life and asked everyone who had known him in the flesh the secret o f his success.

T he answer was always the same—he was a man o f the most amazing affection.

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace, And saw . . . an angel 'writing in a book of Gold.

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, And to the presence in the room he said: “ What writest thou?" . . . The vision replied, “The names of those who love the Lord.”

“I pray thee then write me as one who loves his fellow men.”

The angel wrote and vanished. The next night It came again, with a great awakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,— And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!

Real affection for older men, for younger men, for men from differ­ ent sections o f our country, from different colleges and o f different experiences—this we Betas come to know. Brotherhood to us is real for it is learned, won and experienced.

This Teacher o f Men gives us loyalty— that is the measure of a man's endurance. G reat souls are loyal. On the base o f a monument to a certain great and good American is a biography in three words — “H e was loyal.” Perhaps you know Channing Pollock’s play, The House Beautiful. It is laid in the depression years. T he father’s blue suit becomes more shiny and his hat more battered. T he mother and son have less and less. N ever once does that family haul down the flag o f loyalty. It is that flag flying at the masthead which makes that home the house beautiful. Josiah Royce once said, “Loyalty is the soul o f religion.” W e believe in loyalty to ideals, to friends, to this association. W e agree with the last line in the play, The Valiant—“ Only the loyal truly live.”

This Teacher o f Men gives us ideals and dreams—these are the measure of a man's spiritual reach. T he poet has said, “ I ask no dreams, no prophet ecstasies, no sudden rending o f this vale of clay.” W e do ask for dreams and ideals. On a Spanish coin there

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was the inscription, “N e plus ultra”—no more beyond. Then the Spanish mariners sailed out through the Pillars o f Hercules and came to new worlds and the inscription was changed to, “Plus U ltra”—more beyond.

Say no more dreams are idle things; what else remains save only dreams.

In our Beta material we have the picture of “T he Boy in the W indow Seat.” There sits the lad looking out and beholding the three stars as they pierce the canopy of night. In the distance is the river o f life and the completed city, and by the lad his books and the hour glass. It is the picture o f the dreamer who feels upon him the pull o f the stars. M rs. M ontgomery in her superb translation of T he N ew Testament says, “Shine out as the stars amid the dark­ ness o f the world.” Betas must shine out as stars amid the darkness of their world.

This Teacher of M en gives us goodwill— this is the measure of a man’s brotherhood. Goodwill is a warm interest in persons o f other colors, other races, other creeds, and other backgrounds. There is a story about a young farmer who grew the finest wheat in the countryside. His neighbors came to him for seed but he sent them away telling them to develop the seed as he had done. Then disease struck the neighbor’s wheat and it died. But through the invisible air the disease was carried and the wonderful wheat o f the young farmer rotted away. T he story ends with the young farmer going out with his truck full of seed. His wife asks him where he is going and he says, “ I’m going to give my neighbors good seed, for I have learned I cannot have healthy wheat unless my neighbors have healthy wheat, also.”

Spinoza once said, “ I ’ve taken my best pains not to laugh at men, not to ridicule, not to find fault with them but to understand them.” Comte says, “T o understand is to forgive.” Betas have faith in goodwill not as lip service but as a dynamic thing.

This Teacher o f M en gives us an high opinion of ourself— this is the measure of a man's spirit. I like the story o f the old Scotsman who prayed, “ God, give me an high opinion o f myself.” If we have an high opinion of ourselves we cannot drag our lives in the gutter.

This Teacher of Men gives us character— this is the measure of a man’s refinement. I believe in democracy but I believe, too, in a

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moral aristocracy. Betas should be in that aristocracy. Character is being true to those who trust us. It is devotion to the highest we know and in the final analysis self sacrifice for noble ends. In a biography of Charles W . Eliot I read, “H e was a character.” The late Governor Cross in addressing a graduating class at Yale said, “ Gentlemen, no m atter how important is getting and spending, character is destined to rule the Republic.” Dean W icks of Prince­ ton Chapel wisely said, “Tragedy always occurs when men ac­ cumulate more power than they are personally w orth.” T h at was the trouble with H itler and Mussolini. W e need not fear power in a man’s hands, if his personal worth is greater than the power he holds.

This Teacher of Men gives us conduct— this is the measure of a man's behavior. M atthew Arnold, the great English teacher, once said, “Conduct is three fourths o f life.” There is an irreducible minimum creed—it is better to do right than wrong. T h at is what we mean when we speak of being “ urbane in deportment, courte­ ous in expression, steadfast in friendship.” Long ago a wise man wrote, “T he one sure test of the good life is that a man shall be­ come more and more exacting about his own behavior.”

This Teacher o f Men gives us wisdom— this is the measure of a man's intellect. I know o f few finer combinations o f words than our “ devotion to the cultivation o f the intellect.” Solomon o f old prayed for wisdom. By wisdom he meant the right judgment as to the relative value of things. I do not fear for the future of America or Beta Theta Pi if we can make right judgments as to the values which are high and real. I’ve lived long enough to know a new suit will not cure a heartache and a crown will not cure a headache.

T he greatest and best Teacher who ever lived said, “ Life is more than food and the body is more than raiment. After all these things do the nations o f the world seek but seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things shall be added unto you.”

This Teacher of Men gives us reverence— this is the measure of a man's awe before that which is sacred. I never enter a cathedral and hear the organ roll and see the light stream through the stained glass windows without feeling I am in the presence o f something sacred. I never look into the face of a newborn child without a

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feeling that here is a sacred thing—a basket filled with thousands of undeveloped possibilities. Often friends come to W ashington and ask me to take them to the Lincoln Memorial. Again and again I’ve watched their reaction. On entering the men remove their hats, hush their voices, and begin to tread lightly. T hey are in the presence of something that is sacred.

A group o f high school girls entered that gorgeous chapel at the University o f Chicago. T hey went in as young girls will in a laughing, hilarious mood. W hen they came out one girl said to the others, “ Gee, it’s funny what a place like this does to you.”

Funny? N ot at all. It would be funny if we could enter such a place and not have it do something to us. It would be funny if we could be led into the chapter hall, have the blindfold removed, see the lighted stations, have the Badge pinned over our heart and be greeted as a brother and not have it be one of the sacred experi­ ences o f life. Reverence for the infinity o f the Universe, the great­ ness o f the moral law within, for the power o f truth, beauty, good­ ness, and love, for friends, noble souls, and for self—these Betas realize are sacred.

Hail to thee, mother of men! As a teacher you fling down a bunch of keys, which we can pick up and use to open doors which lead out to fields of useful living. T he good man does not care about being great, he cares only about being useful. As a teacher you give us a Code of G reat and Good Living which will really w o rk !

W e know this is a great fraternity. It is my prayer, my sincere prayer, that we may strive to make it and keep it—a good fra­ ternity.

The Morning Star The 118th General Convention o f Beta Theta Pi, held at Poland Spring, Maine, in A ugust, 1957, was closed b y Seth Brooks w ith a brief address so stirring that many requested “a copy o f the manuscript.” There was no copy; the remarks had been entirely extemporaneous. Thanks to the insistence and assistance o f J. Stanley Young, Denver '24, Seth was prevailed upon to dic­ tate the remarks as he recalled them. Here is a text o f that transcript.

HIS portrait of a great Beta, a very great Beta, Francis W .

Shepardson, brings to my mind the fact that his grandfather was born here in the State of Maine in the year 1799. You will note the year as the last year of the 18th Century.

As a young man, perhaps in his 20’s, I am not sure o f his age, he decided to leave Maine and, as with so many of the youth o f that day, he travelled westward. H e went from his home down to Dover, N ew Hampshire, by horseback. H e left the horse there, as it had been borrowed and was to be returned to its owner. H e was then fortunate enough to find a stagecoach that took him to Bos­ ton. After waiting there several days, he started westward; and by horseback and stage coach, he reached Albany. There, after quite a wait, he again faced westward; and by foot, by boat, by horse and by stage, he finally came to the G reat Lakes. After another wait, this one longer than the others, he found a boat that took him through the Lakes to what we would now call the northern part of the State of Ohio.

T here he left the ship and journeyed southward, and finally settled in Central Ohio. As a young man he had learned the trade of a printer. H e carried with him a small card which all printers at that time carried, which was called a Character, and which showed him to be a trustworthy, reliable, competent member o f his trade.

H e had learned the printing trade working for a small Baptist pub­ lication called The Morning Star. Any one who knows anything about religious symbolism will recall that T he Morning Star, in Christian thought at least, and in Jewish thought, is always The Star of Hope.

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So in the life o f this young man, who was born before our Fra­ ternity was established and set out west before its establishment, a young man who might have been a Beta, had Beta T heta Pi been in existence, there are three things: First, adventure, facing westward; second, a Character which he carried with him; third, T he Morning Star which is always The Star o f Hope.

First, let me speak for a moment about adventure. W e are re­ minded o f the Old Testam ent and that moving statement about Abraham o f Old, who left U r o f Chaldea and went out, not know­ ing whither he went. So it is with all o f us every day o f our life; so it is with life itself; we go out not knowing whither we go. W e might remember the line in the great prayer: “Lord, we know not what a day will bring forth but only that the hour for serving Thee is always at hand.”

W e know not what G reat Adventure awaits us. For example, when you young men left your homes to come to this Convention, some o f you for the first time, you were entering upon a very great adventure, the adventure of travel, no matter how you came—by air, by automobile, by train—the adventure o f being here in the State o f Maine, the adventure of staying in this hotel, the adventure o f meeting in this 118th General Convention. I venture to say that every hour and every day that you have been here, have brought to you a new adventure. You made the adventure in meeting the older Betas and the Betas o f your own generation; you made the adventure of new friendships; you made the adventure o f listening to reports from the General Officers o f the Fraternity; you made the adventure o f having a good time as we Betas do at Conventions.

And now you go back to your individual colleges— that will be an adventure—if it’s your sophomore year, your junior year, your senior year—that will be an adventure. You will enroll for courses — they will be an adventure; and then you will go through rushing — that should be an adventure; and then pledging— that should be an adventure. N ot only that, but you are introducing young men who are to become pledged to this Fraternity to one o f the most wonderful adventures that they will ever know in all their life. I would urge you to go back and tell your Chapter to think upon this year as an adventure—an adventure which may carry that

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Chapter forward—its individual members to greater heights and to more useful service and to more consecrated responsibility. And tell them that Beta Theta Pi has been a great adventure now for 118 years, and tell them that it will depend very largely upon you of today and you who will be the Betas of tomorrow, what kind o f an adventure this will be for us.

W e can point with justifiable pride to the fact that since 1839 when eight boys ’neath the Elms of Old Miami came together on the 8th day o f the 8th month to found our Fraternity; that we who have followed in their illustrious line have been on the adventure of making this, our cherished Association and Brotherhood, one of the most gratifying experiences o f life. So I would urge you, to look upon every hour that you have had here together, as an adven­ ture; to go back and lead your Chapter in high adventure and to think o f your own life and your own career as an adventure that can become increasingly meaningful and rich for you.

Second, you will remember that I said that this young man car­ ried a Character with him. It was a figure of speech, because he carried T he Character, or the little card of a competent and reliable printer; but what could be more significant than to say that each and every one of us as a Beta should carry a Character with him?

I have read a very interesting and moving book—David Hinshaw’s Rufus M . Jones, Master Quaker. T o me, Rufus M. Jones was one o f the greatest men o f our generation—one o f the most saintly men that I have ever known. I would class him with the greatest men of our time—like W inston Churchill, Albert Schweitzer—• and perhaps Gandhi and others. In this book David Hinshaw, in telling about how Rufus M . Jones, born up here in China, Maine, left here to go forth to college and to become a very, very eminent professor, w riter, teacher, preacher, and leader in the Quaker Movement, in choosing to become a teacher (and here’s the idea Hinshaw gives us) was not choosing a profession half as much as he was choosing the kind o f person he wanted to beI know of nothing more important or more profound that I can say to you about our Fraternity than that. W hen we choose Beta T heta Pi, we are not half so much choosing a fraternity as we are choosing the kind of person we want to be, because Beta Theta Pi

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has left its stamp of character indelibly upon those who have loved it most and served it best.

I have been a devoted reader o f the writings o f Tom Wolfe.

Some may not agree with me, but I think he was one o f our great­ est novelists. But one o f the things that always impresses me about the novels of Tom W olfe is the number o f cheap, tawdry, tar­ nished, besmirched, muddied characters that are portrayed. It is unfortunate, it may be realism, it may be life, but W olfe’s novels literally reek with such characters. And then sometimes in my musings, over against these, I have placed the great Betas I have known, and permit me to say I have known most o f the great leaders o f our Fraternity now for more than three decades. T he thing that has impressed me about all o f these men is that they have been men o f exemplary character. T hey have been leaders in this nation, in their community, in their chosen profession, in the arts, science, in their churches and various enterprises that have been dedicated to the betterment or the uplifting or the service o f human beings. I have not time tonight to call the long list—you know many of their names—I have been in association with many o f them since I was a very young man, but as I think, and let me repeat, o f the outstanding leaders o f Beta T heta Pi, they have been lustrous, luminous, radiant characters; they have been men who have carried their Character with them. And so here in our Con­ vention we believe that character is to shine forth and to be ex­ alted, admired, and appreciated. It is my belief that we, as mem­ bers o f this Fraternity, will serve best if we go back to our campus and believe that there the members o f our Chapter on that campus should be men o f Character. It is a further conviction with me that in our Chapter House, living so intimately together as we do, we should try to show one another the light o f our unsullied Character.

There is no explanation of the history, the progress, the achieve­ ment, yes, the greatness and the goodness o f our Fraternity with­ out positing the real reason for it in human nature—men o f Char­ acter, men that Beta Theta Pi has enhanced so far as their character is concerned. M any o f us through this Fraternity have become far more w orthy characters than we ever would have been without it.

I say again, that we have been richly endowed with those lustrous,

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luminous, radiant men who wear our Badge and bear our name, who have carried their Character with them.

And third, and finally, this young man o f long ago went forth with the memory o f the Morning Star, which is always T he Star of Hope. W e have good Scriptural ground for this. T he Ancient C ity o f Jerusalem was surrounded by a high wall with seven en­ trances to it—these were closed at night. V ery often the watch­ man would be upon the tower and someone in the street would cry —“W atchman, tell us o f the night, tell us what its signs o f promise are,” and on occasions the watchman would call back, “Behold the Morning Star, the day breaketh.” T he Morning Star—always T he Star o f Hope—for this star is always seen before the first streak of light upon the eastern horizon.

Beta T heta Pi is fall o f hope—and always has been over its more than a century o f life. It was founded upon hope about the young men o f this country and we carried that out into the young men of the United States and Canada. W e are hopeful about our present, we are hopeful about our future. W e have in our leadership, our General Officers, our District Chiefs, our chapter officers, our deeply devoted alumni, and nearly 5,000 undergraduates, the reason for unbounded hope about our future. I was deeply im­ pressed to hear our speaker of the evening, Brother Howard Jefferson, president of Clark University in W orcester, Massa­ chusetts, speak as a college president and as a Beta o f the tremend­ ous hope which he holds for this present generation o f college youth and for the college youth o f tomorrow. It is my very humble opinion that in this Atomic Age and in this day o f nuclear fission, our best chance of survival is to be men o f hope—hope that somehow good shall be the end o f ill. Hope that somehow we will work out the perplexing problems that face us. Hope that God has endowed us with the mind and the intelligence and the brain to meet the crises o f the present and o f the future and to w ork toward a better humanity and a better future.

I am reminded o f one o f the most interesting stories I know, about the great theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and the man who was one o f the greatest preachers o f our generation—or my generation—Dr. H arry Emerson Fosdick. Dr. Niebuhr, as a Neo-

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Orthodox, has been quite pessimistic about mankind. H arry Emer­ son Fosdick has been an optimist, and one day they were talking together. A fter a very friendly and very brotherly talk (they were intimate friends), Reinhold Niebuhr said something like this— “ I will be a pessimist with you for an hour, but I see the point in what you are saying; you want me to be an optimist with you for Eternity.” x\nd Dr. Fosdick, in commenting upon that, has said that we all have the moments when we are pessimists, but in terms o f the grandeur and the plan o f the Almighty, we should be op­ timists about Eternity.

And so I think it is with our Fraternity. There occur those things when we become very downhearted and very downcast and very pessimistic—things happen in individual chapters and among individual Betas, and we become pessimistic about our Fraternity and its future and its success.

But as we look back over the years— as we look forward into the future—and as we weigh the tremendous potential which we have, I think I can say to you— “Yes, at times, I will be a pessimist with you for an hour about our Fraternity, but I am an optimist about it, filled with hope so far as the future is concerned.”

For I believe that in the young men o f today we have the richest reservoir o f potential leadership that this Fraternity has ever had; and, if we have had a great and glorious past, we certainly have the potential today to see our Fraternity go forward in the future to yet greater and brighter and more glorious things.

So you young men—you Undergraduates, go back to your Chapters filled with hope. Remember what I think Carlyle said, during the days o f the French Revolution, when blood ran down the streets o f Paris and seeped through the cobble stones— “Joy it was in those days to be alive, and to be young was very Heaven.”

You with the blessing o f youth, should be filled with Hope; you should say— “Joy it is to be alive in these days, and to be young is very Heaven.” Then, as in the larger sphere, you face your life, your duties, your responsibilities, your burdens, the trusts that will be placed upon you, go forth filled with Hope.

So, as we return to our homes, perhaps, and then to our colleges and to our chapter houses, to our individual w ork or our individual

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calling, whatever it is, as we leave this Convention and this hall, figuratively speaking, may we call to the Watchman upon the wall — “ Watchman, tell us of the night, what its signs of promise are.”

And again, figuratively, may we hear him in the language of our beloved Association call back to us— “Behold The Morning Star— T he Star of Hope—a new day—a better day—a more glorious day breaketh—for Beta—yours and mine.” I ’m glad that you are Betas—I am glad that I am a Beta, too.

Growth with a Nation D uring the 122nd General Convention o f Beta Theta Pi held at the SheratonHuntington Hotel in Pasadena, California, a special program was arranged featuring the history o f the fraternity. Speakers included Historian K .

Warren Fawcett whose history o f the fraternity, Marching Along, had ju s t been published and President Seth R . Brooks. D r. Brooks addressed the audience as follow s:

N 1832 at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, which is a few miles from the City o f Utica, the Alpha Delta Phi Fra­ ternity was founded. It is almost unbelievable, but one year later the Beta chapter of Alpha Delta Phi was established at Miami University in the little village of Oxford, Ohio.

In those days the distance between Hamilton, New York, and Oxford, Ohio, and the lack o f communication between them is almost impossible for us to imagine. Let me recall that Kappa Alpha and Sigma Phi had attempted to establish chapters at Hamil­ ton College in 1830 and in 1831. Both failed, and no doubt Alpha Delta Phi was inspired by the two fraternities o f which Hamilton students had heard. I ask you to think o f the year 1833 with the leap from Hamilton College to Miami University for Alpha Delta Phi. If one studies a photograph of John Reily Knox, § 1 on the Alpha roll, when he was a college student, it is easy to be im­ pressed by his excellent physical bearing and the expression o f a young man who held long views. It is my personal opinion that Knox was a natural leader and a deep thinker.

N ow as a student, Knox was not a member o f Alpha Delta Phi. M aybe he wished he were, or maybe he had no desire to be. H ow ­ ever, he did see in this fraternity which existed at Miami the value o f association, mutual effort, fraternal or brotherly feeling. It must have been with this in mind that he talked with college friends about the formation of another fraternity. H e finally se­ lected seven of the men he admired most and called them together and imparted to them his idea for a new association. It has always

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been my own belief that whereas the existing fraternity began with the G reek Alpha, Knox deliberately took Beta, the second letter o f the G reek alphabet for the second group o f associated students. So it was that on August 8, 1839, these eight young men founded Beta Theta Pi. I wish to impress upon you that there were two major motiva­ tions. T he first was to organize a literary society, and the second was to have an association in which there would be group feeling, corporate life, mutuality, helpfulness, and brotherhood. As we know, for some time both o f these ideas existed until the literary society motivation gave way and the fraternal motivation was supreme and has continued to be so.

T ry to imagine Hamilton, N ew York, in 1830 or Oxford, Ohio, in 1839.T herew ere dirt streets, a few stores, and, o f course, noth­ ing like telephones, radios, T V s, moving pictures, and automo­ biles. T he student in those years had no gymnasium or athletic field. T here were no dormitories as we know them today. Students roomed here and ate there in boarding houses. Some cooked in their rooms food brought from home. T hey chopped their own firewood and carried water from a spring. T here was a complete lack o f recreation, diversion and activity for students. It was out of this need that these young men began to form their societies.

Another very important fact was that the students had come from farms. T hey had left behind parents, brothers and sisters and they were extremely lonely. So it was in this new environment alone and lonely that these young men found new brothers. T hey were not blood brothers, but they were in time to become as close as the relationship between brothers o f the same family. It might be said that those who formed our Fraternity were adding unto themselves brothers which they had accepted, chosen and to whom they drew near.

As the years went by, after the founding of Beta Theta Pi and as more men were initiated, those in the brotherhood could say, “ W e are a band o f brothers. This we can prove for we have taken the same vows, made the same pledges, and, behold, we wear the same Badge and bear the same name.” N ow there began to exist a sense o f oneness, unity, and common experience which were to

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play a large part in the years to come. Those in the Fraternity were to share each other’s joy and help each other in sorrow and mis­ fortune.

T o hold their band together these young men looked where the ancient Greeks in a Golden Era had looked. T hey looked to high ideals as the cords which would bind them together and to the stars which would guide them toward their destiny in the years ahead. T hey picked ideals such as brotherhood, mutual helpful­ ness, group responsibility, as the cords that bound and cultivation o f the intellect, character, fidelity, and usefulness as the stars which were to be guiding lights shining from heaven upon their earthly path.

As the Fraternity grew there developed in deepening form that which had existed since the very beginning—the joy o f being together. N ow the brothers began to w rite and sing their Beta songs. A t night as a chapter they would go and serenade the fair co-eds. T hey began to hold conventions at which men gathered who bore the same name, but who had not yet met each other.

M ore and more in chapter life, within the District, in the Alumni Association, at dinners, at parties, and in General Conventions Betas began to appreciate the joy o f being together.

In the development o f the group it was necessary to find a place to meet. Often the students were fortunate enough to find a col­ lege room where at night they could gather. Sometimes they met in the home of the parents o f some member who lived in the town.

M ore and more the desire was growing for what might be called the chapter’s own home.

N ow these groups were to enter upon a difficult period. A new movement known as the anti-fraternity movement began. T he groups had to give up wearing their Badge, revealing their name and even their membership. T hey went underground, so to speak, and for some years existed sub rosa. It was not a happy time for fraternities, but to their great credit they continued to survive and endured.

W hen fraternities were again recognized and existed in the open there was the growing demand for a permanent meeting place which the chapter itself would possess. It was about this time that

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chapters began to rent a room over some store on the main street.

Let me relate to you from memory what a great lover o f the Fra­ ternity, Charlie Gutelius, Indiana ’05, often told me.

W e rented a room over the drugstore on the main street in Bloomington.

W e furnished it with any furniture we could get.We were proud of our chapter room and would go there whenever we could and meet the other Betas and sit around and talk. There we held our chapter meetings and initiations. The thing I will never forget is the golden hours when after chapter meetings we would have coffee or cider and doughnuts and sing Beta songs.

T he room downtown could not contain the boys or their en­ thusiasm. N ow they wanted their own chapter house. Let me tell you how it happened in many places. There would be a house for rent and the boys would rent it. They would furnish it as best they could, elect a steward, get a cook and begin to have their meals together. I have been taken to visit many of these first houses which long ago were left by the chapter. They were houses built for a family. In the early days they had no inside plumbing. The rooms were heated by stoves. T he floors were soft wood. The rooms were lighted by lamps. Let us never miss the fact that it was in these first chapter houses that Beta T heta Pi developed many of its greatest leaders and began to produce much o f its enormous power and spirit.

N ext came the period when a chapter built its own home. 1 know the St. Lawrence story. T he Betas were living in a rented house. T hey wanted their own home. Their few Alumni raised what money they could and borrowed as much as possible. In 1900 the first fraternity house—the Beta house—was built right on the campus. It was a big gray shingled house, with dining room, living room, kitchen, foyers, study rooms, fireplaces, chapter hall, front porch— and the total cost was $10,000. T he house stands today.

T he years 1840, ’50, and ’60 were bitter years. T he Nation was dividing N orth and South. T he war clouds were gathering. Stu­ dents were upset and uncertain. Then came the Civil W ar and the great part played in it by Betas o f the N orth and South. Some of our chapters went out o f existence, some closed. There was no

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communication between N orthern and Southern chapters, but we as a Fraternity continued to exist and after the W ar was over our Northern and Southern chapters continued in brotherly affection in one Association.

A fter the Civil W ar, colleges began to grow in size and in num足 ber. State Universities became more common. Technical Schools were opened, and education at the college and university level was growing with an unfolding Nation. Beta T heta Pi was keeping in touch with this growth. N ow its chapters were beginning to span the Nation, from Atlantic to Pacific and from the Mexican Border into Canada, and Beta Theta Pi became a great General Fra足 ternity. As new chapters came into being they relied heavily on the national reputation of Beta T heta Pi. Between 1890 and 1900, the frontier had about disappeared. The United States had national spirit and was becoming the giant o f the W est. It was in this period that Beta T heta Pi was becoming a giant, too, and was developing and enjoying some o f the greatest leaders any fraternity has ever known. These ten years were years in which much of the growth and expansion o f Beta Theta Pi were wisely and brilliantly planned.

From 1900 to 1914 the Nation had come o f age. So had Beta Theta Pi. It had the loyalty o f thousands o f members. It was well housed. It had remarkable leaders. It printed its own literature and magazine. It was a force in the life of many men and a force in the life o f many educational institutions. It was o f itself a powerful organization using the loyalty and talents o f scores o f men.

From 1914 to 1930 a great change took place. T he Nation had fought in a European war. M any Betas had served with distinction in the Armed Forces. M any had given their lives. T he Toronto chapter had written a page o f glory. T he entire membership o f my chapter, with the exception o f three men, had enlisted as the first St. Lawrence Unit. T he Student Army Training Corps came on the campus. Beta houses were used as barracks. T he W ar over, the houses were reconditioned, the Veterans returned and the chapters began to rebuild. In the years that followed the Fraternity under足 took, under brilliant leaders, many innovations and new depar足 tures. M any beautiful chapter houses were built. Names on Beta

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rolls reflected broader and broader variety o f background. Shepardson was at the height o f his power as a dominant influence in Beta T heta Pi and in the entire fraternity world. Beta tradition, history, lore, stories and songs were now well established in the minds o f many, many men. T he thought o f the nation had become international. Education had become specialized and more uni­ versal. Beta T heta Pi was heading toward its Centennial—only nine years away.

There was no doubt that there now existed the images o f both the Beta T heta Pi Fraternity and the man who could say, “ I wear the Badge and bear the name o f Beta T heta P i,” and could end his account o f his Beta experience with the words, uTm glad that / ’m a Beta!”

Enter into Your Beta Inheritance A t the same 122nd General Convention in 1961 Seth Brooks’ address to the gathering as President o f the Fraternity reflected the diffim lt times through 'which all Greek-letter societies had been traveling. It had been a year which had seen much antifratemity agitation and D r. Brooks spoke to the Delegates and other Betas attending the convention as follow s:

N A U G U ST , 1919, at the N ew Ocean House, Swampscott, Massachusetts, I attended my first Beta Convention. M y fresh­ man year at St. Lawrence University had been completed the previous June. M y attendance at the Convention was the result of having won the Abbott Award. Hugh Abbott, who had a Beta father and a Beta brother, was our District Chief. Each year he gave an award to a member of the freshman class. T he award was a trip with expenses paid to the General Convention. I should note that the Abbott-Young Memorial Tem ple at St. Lawrence bears the name of these three Abbotts and o f John Young.

A t this Convention I saw for the first time the proportion and greatness o f Beta T heta Pi. I think what impressed me most was the outstanding caliber o f the older men who were present and the undergraduate Delegates from Beta’s Broad Domain. A t this Con­ vention I saw men like Francis W . Shepardson, Jim Gavin, Jimmy Brown, Clarence L. Newton, H . Sheridan Baketel, M orris Ebersole, George H oward Bruce, and many others. I also met Kenneth L. Rogers, who was to write some o f our greatest songs, as well as other men who were to become leaders in our Fraternity and who were later to be close friends and colleagues o f mine in the w ork o f our Fraternity.

This Convention is the 26th which I have attended. I have known personally almost every Beta leader since 1919. I have heard Presidential Addresses by Francis W . Shepardson, Clarence L. Newton, G. H erbert Smith, A. J. G . Priest, Bertram W .

Bennett, and Sherwood M . Bonney. Each one presented his Presidential Address in his own way. I look back upon these addresses as memorable, moving, inspiring, dynamic, serious, and

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challenging, as each man spoke as President of Beta Theta Pi at that Convention offering his deepest thought and his loftiest ideals to the Convention assembly.

Realizing the great men who have occupied this office before me, I would be less than honest if I did not say I have given countless hours of thought to what I should bring to you at this time.

O ur Fraternity has passed through a year o f grave anxiety and exceedingly difficult and upsetting situations. Your General Offi­ cers, your District Chiefs, and your alumni have been concerned with what we are doing, where we are headed and what the future of our Fraternity is to be. Some men have written me it might be wiser to disband the Fraternity and after an honorable closing have our cherished memories rather than to see the purpose o f our Fraternity destroyed. Others have taken the position that the undergraduate chapters should be allowed to do anything they wish to do. Permit me as one who has had this Fraternity on his mind constantly for many decades to say that I do not accept either position.

I do wish to record that I have been appalled by the actions of certain state legislatures, university and college administrations, faculties and student bodies in connection with fraternities. Some of these acts have been not only unrealistic but undemocratic, coercive, oppressive, tyrannical, and cruel. During the past year I have been bathed in fire; I would not have believed that highly educated and intelligent men could be as intolerant, deceptive, impossible, and ruthless as I now know from experience they can be.

Let those who have picked the college fraternity as a whipping boy look to those who are doing the whipping and then ask them­ selves whether they would rather take their chances with fra­ ternity men or with those who are their opponents. I for one feel that the behavior o f the leaders o f the great American fraternities has been far above in character and rationale what I have seen in those who are the hunters trying to bring down their quarry.

H ow often we have heard it said “out o f the heart are the issues o f life” and “ as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” I trust I will not appear to be sentimental if I report to you some of the things which I have found arising in my heart in these past twelve months.

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M y first question is, What Is a Greek-Letter College Fraternity?

It is a great many things! Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi are Greekletter fraternities but are scholastic in nature. There are many Greek-letter fraternities which are professional—law, dentistry, medicine, engineering, education. There are some fraternities which have existed far into their second century. There are other fraternities which have few years behind them. Some fraternities have expanded to 175 chapters, and some old and conservative fraternities have remained with sixteen or tw enty chapters. There are Jewish fraternities, Roman Catholic fraternities, Negro fra­ ternities. Each fraternity has its Badge, pledge button, ritual, songs, chapter houses, and Conventions. Each fraternity must have its ideals or it would not be true to the purpose o f a fraternity. Dr. Francis W . Shepardson was so trusted by all fraternity people he had seen scores and scores of rituals. H e once told me he did not know o f any college fraternity ritual which did not have in it two major ideas—intellectual development and character growth.

Beta Theta Pi is a General Fraternity. As such we share many things in common with other fraternities, as we always must, and we have also our unique facets. Be it here and now understood that the Greek-letter college fraternity has these distinguishing marks.

It has chapters in educational institutions in the United States and Canada. It holds chapter meetings. It has a constitution or code which governs it. It has an initiation ceremony. It has an alumni body. It comes together in a national or general meeting. It must perpetuate itself by each year bidding and initiating men it chooses to become fraternity brothers. It is based upon the highest ideal­ ism of Brotherhood, Fidelity, Character, Friendship, Morality, Service, Reverence, Trustworthiness, and M utual Helpfulness.

This, then, is a synoptic view of the Greek-letter college frater­ nity.

What Is the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity? It is in our words, a great and good Fraternity. It has been in existence for nearly a century and a quarter. It has chapters in many o f the best educational institutions in the United States and Canada. It has had thousands o f members unto some 80,000 of which some 55,000 are living.

It has a moving ritual. It publishes its own magazine. It has an administrative office in Oxford, Ohio. It has its own library of

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Beta books and has its own cherished Songs. O ur Fraternity has led in many fields of fraternal life. It has always been respected among other fraternities. It has had its full share o f distinguished undergraduate campus leaders and famous alumni. It is an institu­ tion which today has funds in seven figures. It has been adminis­ tered almost totally on a volunteer basis. It has not approved of any form of degrading pledges or initiates. It has exalted personal integrity, character, corporate effort, high scholarship, and dignity.

However, having said this, one can only find the real Beta T heta Pi in the lives of its members. M any men caught and ex­ pressed this spirit from the moment they were initiated. For others it happened more slowly. Others never caught it and have never truly been members. T o some this has come after college days.

Once it has happened it is an unmistakable something in a man’s life. It is dedication in undergraduate days to the college or uni­ versity, to the chapter and to Beta’s good name on the campus.

During alumni days it is a fire which keeps burning within a man.

It takes him back to his chapter, to his alumni association, to General Conventions, and it makes him eager to be in the company o f other men who wear the Badge. In brief, Beta Theta Pi is seen in the love and devotion which countless men have had for it. It is what made Cal Hanna, W illis O. Robb, Frank Sisson, William Raimond Baird, George Chandler, and many, many others shining lights in our Fraternity. O ur Fraternity has stature because men who wore our Badge were men of dignity—gentlemen to the man­ ner born who attained high place in the world without and brought dignity, honor, and achievement into the unfolding and developing o f Beta T heta Pi. What Is a Chapter of Beta Theta Pi? T h at depends on what a given chapter does! Some of our chapters have always excelled, some have moved in cycles, some have been mediocre, and some have been poor. W e have chapters which live in magnificent and luxurious houses. Some chapters live in beautiful houses and some live modestly. I have made perhaps 500 chapter visitations. It has been a pleasure to be in Beta chapter houses. Only twice have I felt I was not welcome, and only once have I received downright unkind treatment as happened this past year. A chapter has a home, and it should be a place where courtesy is extended to all. A Beta

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chapter is a unit of a large and old Fraternity. This chapter, ac­ cording to our Code, has autonomy; but mark well, it does not have autonomy without responsibility to every other Beta, every other chapter, the elected Board o f Trustees and to the tradition and good name of our Association. A Beta chapter is a place where men, if they are real Betas, will show right attitude, noble spirit, sound character, cultured performance, trustworthiness, belief in moral and ethical behavior. A chapter to be at its best must express the desire o f each member to contribute to the high reputation of the chapter as a whole and the desire o f the chapter to add to the long record o f excellence, performance, service, friendship and fidelity which have marked our history.

What Is a Beta Alumni Association? It can be a group o f men who have graduated from a given chapter or it can be a group of men from different chapters who meet during the year. T he purpose of the Association is to bring together men of our Fraternity who desire each other’s company, and, if possible, to aid undergraduate chapters and to uphold the General Fraternity. In one place where I lived a few o f us met regularly over the years. W e were just a small band, but we always came together as Betas. In another place where I lived there was a large, active group which carried on an ambitious program, but we were first and foremost Betas who had gathered for our mutual interest. T o know what a Beta Alumni Association is one must see the hundreds and thousands of great Beta alumni across the country who have shown their devotion through these Associations. I wish time permitted me to name scores and scores of these men. I can mention only a few and it is with regret I am not able to mention more. I think of the late Ike Litchfield, who wrote the M .I.T . Alma M ater, who never missed a Boston meeting; the late Ray Irvin and his devotion to the Cleve­ land Association; Stanley Hornbeck, who for over fifty years has been prominent in Association meetings; Forrest Kirkpatrick, who has done so much for Bethany; Mac and Carl Black, who did so much for St. Lawrence; the Cowie brothers of Columbia; the Stewart brothers of W & J; Gilbert Malcolm o f Dickinson; Ernie Lamb of Maine; A1 Lang and Chris Larsen o f Lawrence; the father and son Scheetz o f Pennsylvania; Bob Burkhart of Colorado Col­ lege; Sam Needham, who served as Chief in four Districts; and

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the story could be carried on ad infinitum. For one thinks o f names like Ford W eber, Elwood Starbuck, Bob Shattuck, Spig Fawcett, Bob Frazier, Elmer Jennings, Columbus Barber, Howard Law, Ronald Moist, Charlie Dykes, Dunny Clark, Charlie Francis, and Ed Brown, which bring to mind great pillars o f the Beta Temple.

What Is a Beta? W illiam Raimond Baird once said he intended to write a book on “Betas who are in jail and Betas who should be in jail.” This is not just humorous for there are Betas in jail and per­ haps some who should be. There are Betas who have been dead­ beats and have left a string o f debts behind them. There are Betas who have been rude and discourteous and have broadcast untruths about the Fraternity and fellow members. There have been Betas expelled from college and from the Fraternity. This is the price we pay for being human. These are the casualties o f human frail­ ties and rather than being self-righteous we should be humble and forgiving. W e are not the conscience of other men. “ I will repay, saith the Lord.” W e are not the agents of final retribution. A Beta is known by his fruits.

There are thousands of illustrations, so let me cite a few I hope to your edification. W e see this in men who were the glory of their time. T he gentle, scholarly, wise Cal Hanna, shaping our Fraternity. Shep, recognized by all fraternity men as perhaps the greatest fraternity man and who was never forgotten by any man who met him; Jim Gavin, huge of body and enormous o f heart; Bill Dawson, with his w ry w it and broad smile; Charlie Gutelius, with the Fraternity on his mind every minute; Frank Lay and Charlie Moderwell, successful businessmen, ever active in the Fraternity, are examples.

In our own time we knew Jack Ryan, who attended 50 Conven­ tions; Owen D Young, who attained world prominence and who told me he loved to get back to the Beta house at St. Lawrence and sit in the living room or on the porch with the boys; W illis Everett, great lawyer and humanitarian who just before he died said, “ I ’m glad I am a Beta.”

These and those who have been like them have been men of integrity. T hey have been persons fit to live with. T hey made a success o f life. T hey had purpose. T hey entered into the full membership of the Fraternity and understood its meaning and

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significance. They saw the light. T hey remembered the history and tradition bequeathed them. T hey saw it as their duty in their time to uphold the purpose of an association of men from our vari­ ous colleges and universities. They believed that because this As­ sociation had done so much for them, they had no right to destroy it or harm it, but instead were under obligation to hand it on to others.

In one of our great songs we sing, “The outside world is wrapped in sleep.'’’ I beg to differ. Much o f the outside world is hostile to fraternities. During the past year it has been a shocking experience to face the enmity directed toward us. Newspapers and news magazines have disregarded the truth and have shown antagonism toward fraternities. H ow many letters I have received, I cannot tell you, but enough to be most disturbing in their expressions of hatred of the fraternity system. There are those persons who would like to destroy us or see us pass from existence. There is no fate which guarantees our future. W e will continue to exist if we can prove our worth and be so strong and pure that we are above slander. Every immoral or indecent act on the part of a Beta or a chapter hurts. There are those lying in wait to pounce upon us. It behooves us to prove all that men like G. H erbert Smith, Bert Bennett, A. J. G . Priest, Sherwood M . Bonney, and others have said is the true fraternity. W e must uphold scholarship, we must keep our chapter houses above reproach, we must not act like children or idiots. Do not go upon the theory “ the outside world is wrapped in sleep.” There are always those who are awake, watch­ ing us, eager to embarrass us and ready to destroy us if they can.

“0 Beta, thou are ever glorious, T hy bonds are sweet, thy service joy\" These words from one o f our most moving songs were w rit­ ten by James T . Hatfield, Northwestern 1883. As A. J. Priest tells in The Great Ones, Hatfield had graduated in June. T h at summer he was traveling in England. Alone in a railroad carriage between Liverpool and London he thought o f the days in his chapter and of his chapter mates. Taking from his pocket a paper and pencil, this homesick lad wrote this great Beta hymn. This past year I visited thirty chapters. Some o f those who will share in this Convention, like G. H erbert Smith, have visited every Beta chapter as well as places where we once had chapters like Harvard, United States

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Naval Academy, Princeton, and the University of Richmond. In many of these chapters we have caught a glimpse o f something glorious. M any o f us have known great Beta leaders who came after Knox and his seven brothers. W e think o f Harold J. Baily, Gordon S. Smyth, Clifford C. Gregg, Lee B. Thompson, H arry M . Easton, Clem B. Holding, Stratford L. Morton, Clarence Roseberry, Robert M . Thompson, and many, many others. In their loyalty and devotion we saw something glorious. M any o f us have attended enough Conventions, have heard enough memorable Beta addresses and have met enough Beta families to say, “There is something in these which is glorious.”

There is a story about an old worn and dilapidated river steam­ boat in the South. Archibald Rutledge tells about it and says that the engine room shone brightly. W hen he asked the old engineer why in this old tub of a boat the engine room gleamed he received the answer, “ I ’se got a glory.” All of us need a glory.

There are three warnings I would impress on every wearer of our Badge: 1. When that great humanitarian, the widow of the founder of the Salvation A rm y, was dying, she said to her daughter, Evangeline Booth, “W hy can't God keep a thing pure fo r more than one genera­ tion?” I do not know what Mrs. Booth had in mind, but I will say to you that the ever-present challenge fo r Beta Theta Pi is fo r its members to keep it pure in terms of its original purpose.

2. There are across the country no end of Betas who were initiated into our Fraternity, yet who over the years have shown no interest in us.

Suddenly something happens of which they do not approve. Thereupon they write the Officers of the Fraternity letters of condemnation and rebuke. I would remind these men that on the Fraternal Fifties Card we read, “Once a Beta, always a Beta, everywhere a Beta." The way to help Beta Theta Pi is to be active, know facts, understand problems, and then attempt to help “build up a great fraternity.”

3. Throughout this year, I have heard endless talk about “the autonomy of chapters." Let us understand the matter. There are fifty States, but the United States Government is supreme. There would be no such thing as a chapter of Beta Theta Pi without the General Fra­ ternity. There is no such thing as the isolation of a chapter which is law unto itself. It is under the Code, and it is a part of a General Fraternity.

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Every Beta must think of every other Beta. Every chapter has an obligation to every other chapter. Let us disabuse our minds of the foolish notion that any chapter has a right to do whatever it wishes.

I have noticed that among those who aver they are the most liberal, are persons who have condemned most bitterly States Rights and have relied upon the Federal Government. Yet in our Fraternity, whenever a chapter wishes to go its own way, it raises the banner of its autonomy and denies its obligation to the whole or General Fraternity.

“He that saveth his life shall lose it.” “No man liveth unto himself alone and dieth unto himself alone.” Our future depends upon our unity, self-forgetfulness and service to something bigger than ourself or our chapter.

For many years our Fraternity was blest at its Convention by the presence o f John Allan Blair, W abash 1893. Johnny Blair was a Presbyterian minister. H e served as a D istrict Chief, was often Convention speaker and was a great lover o f the Fraternity. T o know his kind and gracious nature was a benediction. I once heard him tell the Beta boys that God had given man a precious sub­ stance. Some men shaped it to make ploughs to use in the fields to turn the stubborn sod that seed might bear fruit. Some used it for instruments o f destruction that they might more easily destroy their fellow men. Others used it to fashion an instrument which they took up the mountain slopes and over which they sounded the call for men to climb to the heights from which they might see the glory o f “ a C ity not made with hands.”

If in my service to Beta T heta Pi, I would do one thing, it would be to call you to enter into your Beta inheritance, in the words of the N ew Testam ent “ to love the brotherhood” and to carry for­ ward our great and good name, untarnished and unsullied.

The Long Illustrious Line The 125th General Convention o f Beta Theta Pi in 1964 was appropriately held on the campus o f M iam i University in Oxford, Ohio, where, a century and a quarter before, the fraternity had been founded by John R eily Knox and seven friends. A t the Presidents' Dinner held during that gathering to honor those form er Presidents o f the Fraternity who were present, Seth Brooks delivered the main address o f the evening and looked back down the years:

W EN D Y O U N G , Sr. Lawrence ’94, was one o f the really great men I have known. H e was gifted with rare insight, vast knowledge, deep understanding and remarkable perception.

In the later years of his life I heard him make a statement I have never forgotten, “T he old man meets his youth coming up the road.” A t the time M r. Young made the statement, he had laid down the Chairmanship of the General Electric Company, his vast financial and industrial responsibilities and his leadership in na­ tional and international affairs. H e had retired to his native Van Hornesville, N ew York, and perhaps there he saw his youth com­ ing up the road to meet him. W hether this observation was auto­ biographical or not, it was profound, poignant, and full of senti­ ment—not sentimentality.

Otho E. Lane, Miami ’01, used to say with marked feeling and emphasis, “T he Fraternity (and to him that was Beta Theta Pi) is sentiment.” Billy Lane held a real truth. Sentiment has played a large part in the history o f our Fraternity. Sentiment has brought us here for these days o f commemoration. Has it not passed through our mind that in a sense this week we are turning back time in its flight?

Beta T heta Pi, which is the warrant for our meeting here, has mature age. N ow from the vantage point of 125 years it can look down the road and see its youth coming up to meet it.

I would like to look with you down that road and see, if possible, not only the roots out of which we came, but a long procession which has marched through more than twelve decades.

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In this village of Oxford, which has meaning of the deepest significance to our Fraternity, a century and a quarter ago this month, eight young men founded Beta T heta Pi. W e see John Reily Knox and his seven companions. T hey are very young, seri­ ous, and dedicated to the founding o f a new brotherhood which shall bear a name they have chosen as a symbol o f their purpose and fidelity. T he march begins! The debt o f following generations o f Betas to these eight young men is well known. W e who have followed after them recognize the Immortal Eight builded better than they knew and by the ideals they beheld as shining stars of equal magnitude nearly one hundred thousand o f us have been guided.

T he march leaves the village of Oxford and the campus of Miami University and moves to other colleges in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, N ew Jersey, Indiana, Michigan. In 1879 it joins with Alpha Sigma Chi and enters our Northeast. In 1889 it unites with the M ystic Seven and finds a new homeland in the Southern States. As the years go by the march touches more and more institutions o f higher learning. It is the first Fraternity to span the Mississippi River and establish a chapter in a university there. It crosses the Canadian Border and becomes international in scope. T he march fans out into the Mountain States, Golden California, our teeming Northwest, and our burgeoning South­ west.

T he dark clouds o f civil strife appear on the horizon. W a r’s wild clamor grips a young Nation. T he conflict comes and weeping is o’er the land. N ow in the march were our boys in both Blue and G ray. Some chapters were closed. Some never reopened. The amazing thing is that this gigantic struggle never divided the Fra­ ternity nor did it ever diminish the sense o f brotherhood between those o f the N orth and those o f the South.

In 1914 our Canadian Brothers went forth to serve their King and Country. Ever recorded for us are the words o f M ike Malone o f our Toronto chapter who, when wounded, turned to those who were trying to carry him back to safety and said, “N ever mind me, carry on!” In 1918 the United States joined the W estern Allies in a struggle to end autocracy and war itself. N ow in army and navy uniforms thousands o f Betas were in the march. T hey wrote a

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brave and courageous history and their Fraternity was to remem­ ber what they had done. M any gave their lives and their sacrifice was to be enshrined on the G reat Roll o f the Fraternity.

Shortly after Beta T heta Pi was 100 years old the Nations be­ came engaged in a Second W orld W ar. N ow hosts o f our sons— soldiers, seamen, airmen—were seen in the great march for what we believe was freedom’s cause. T here was no place in the Pacific, Mediterranean, Europe, Arctic and Islands of the Seas where those who wore our Badge and bore our name did not go. T hey kept vigil in lonely and dangerous places. T hey gave their lives and again we enshrined their memory and sacrificial deeds on the most sacred pages o f our history.

N ow in the march one recognized that the first and early mem­ bers o f the Fraternity had become mature and aging men. One beheld a galaxy o f leaders. One o f the most amazing things about our Fraternity is that this galaxy would never be dimmed nor diminished up to the present hour. It became almost beyond belief that our history was to show not one great leader in 20 or 50 years, but in all periods from our founding a galaxy of renowned leaders o f equal strength, sagacity, loyalty, vision, dedication, and unsel­ fishness.

Through all these years a Name made up o f three G reek Letters —B 0 n —shone brilliantly and illuminated the road and the march­ ing procession.

T he road over the years was filled with the immortal songs of W heeler, Hatfield, Lozier, Rogers, and others. One could see along the road college youth coming from the east, coming from the west, coming from the north, and coming from the south.

Their songs were to give them sentiment, express their enthusiasm and bind them closer together. Those on the march who sang T he Loving Cup, Beta Stars, T he Old Porch Chairs, could understand what one w riter o f a Beta song meant when he said, “ O Beta Thou art ever glorious” and then be reminded o f something years could not dim nor time destroy.

Emblazoning the procession was a Grecian Shield with diamond, wreath, and stars. This Badge worn by tens of thousands o f men was to be a symbol on a hundred college campuses. It was to take its place as a distinguishing sign o f certain members o f a certain

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fraternity in a G reek-letter System which was to have millions of members in distinguished fraternities, sororities, and honor socie­ ties.

Coming up the road are men in the fulness o f youth, men at the zenith of life and men with the slower, steadier step o f age. These men bear names ever honored in our history. T he roll would take several hours to call, but what affectionate memories o f devoted service and Beta leadership are struck by names such as—Baird, Sisson, Hanna, Shepardson, Robb, Chandler, Baketel, W am baugh, Gavin, Bruce, Ebersole, Baily, W alker, Dawson, Gutelius, Newton, Priest, Gordon Smyth, G. H erbert Smith, Holt, Ryan, Bennett.

T he march continues with those who have constantly expressed their deep affection for the Fraternity and their unending gratitude that they became one o f its members. Again, it would take hours to give the names o f all. On this list are those whose names speak for all the rest: Hornbeck, Morton, Clark, Fischer, May, Simpson, Moderwell, Shattuck, Grosscup, Holding, Jennings, Moist, Irvin, Rich, Steele, Thompson, W eber, Gregg. W ith the passing o f the years the march o f grateful and devoted servants has increased.

Now come into sight thousands of young men in white robes and hoods who are admitted for the first time to the Chapter Hall to participate in the presentation of the Ritual of their Initiation.

H ere are unnumbered mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters who made the way more tender and sweeter through the passing years. For it cannot be forgotten the important part played in this Fraternity by women who, through their understanding and devo­ tion wanted to see our Fraternity led, served, and fashioned into enlarging usefulness to young men o f college age.

N ow come in growing numbers Beta sons, Beta grandsons, and Beta great-grandsons. Bedecking the march and adding beauty and splendor to it are the flags o f nearly 125 universities, colleges and technical institutes where we have had chapters, the flags o f many states and the unforgettable chapter guidons designed by George M . Chandler, Michigan ’98, and carried here in the great march at the Centennial in 1939.

One sees a large number o f outstanding young men who, spanning many decades, have formed the corps o f District Chiefs.

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These men have been the workers with Chapters and Districts and it has been through them that much o f the success o f our Fra­ ternity was realized. Moreover, their influence upon college boys has been large and lasting.

One cannot fail to see the years of crisis in Canada during W orld W ar I. O ur Toronto chapter house was to be closed. Betas in the United States voluntarily raised funds to keep that house open.

M any years later when a President of the United States was assassinated members of Beta T heta Pi in Canada officially greeted their brothers in the United States and sent their deepest and heart­ felt sympathy.

There have been Beta weddings at which every man taking part has been a Beta. There have been weddings like one in W ashing­ ton, D.C., which was attended by every active member o f the Ohio W esleyan Chapter. There have been Beta funerals when family grief and loss were tempered and sweetened by the affec­ tion Betas brought. Those who took part will never forget the final rites for Francis W . Shepardson, Ray Cheseldine and George M . Chandler. Hundreds of Betas poured into Granville, Ohio, to say their farewell, each wearing a Beta rose, to honor Shep; the Chapel at Fort M eyer was filled with Betas when services for Ray Cheseldine were held, and Betas bareheaded under the oaks in A r­ lington Memorial Cemetery bowed their heads as George M. Chandler was laid to rest. Such scenes have been repeated through­ out our history. T he writings of Shepardson— The Beta Story, The Beta Book and Beta Lore, A. J .’s The Great Ones, and Faw cett’s Marching Along could never contain even part of the story.

Tonight we gather here in sentiment. W e come in gratitude for the past and to look back to the unbroken march over the long road through a century and a quarter. Thankful as we are for the past, we meet now to look to the road yet to be taken.

It will not be always an easy road. It may narrow. It may come to abrupt turns. One is reminded of St. Paul, “A great door and effectual is open unto me; and there are many adversaries.” This can be a high road open and effectual and there will be many ad­ versaries.

T he Beta M arch through the years to come must carry guidons

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on which are clearly marked not only the objects o f but the manner o f performance o f our Association.

1. On the first guidon appears Fraternity. W e began as a Fra­ ternity, we are a Fraternity, and we will end if we are not a Fra­ ternity. As a brotherhood we find our reasons for being. W e will encounter certain regulations. W e will have to conform to our environment. W e are forced to accept criticism and punishment, if we do wrong. T he power for our endurance will be the inward strength o f men joined in fraternal bonds who “Love the Brother­ hood.”

2. Friendship is on the second guidon. One of the chief rewards o f our Fraternity has been the friendships made within the chapter, across the District, at General Conventions and throughout the membership. “Friendship gave our order birth pure and lasting as the earth.” Nothing is more beautiful than deepening, lasting, life­ long friendships known in this brotherhood. M any o f us hope that on the march ahead other generations shall know the joy and in­ spiration of friendships such as were our cherished possessions. I think of three members o f our Fraternity, outstanding and success­ ful men, who each week, year after year, met under a certain clock in Cleveland, Ohio, and then had luncheon together.

3. Intellectual Attainment is seen on the third guidon. Our Founders believed in intellectual aims. Over the years we have taught the importance o f cultivation of the intellect. W e have done everything to make young men value the importance of education and noble use o f it. In the march ahead there must be men who can lead the uneducated into light. There must be those who through the power of the mind can conceive of a better world. Through mental power and the trained mind men can bring to pass a new era of peace and light. Anyone who has lived among the illiterate and those who lack knowledge and understanding can know w hy we as a Fraternity give ourself to developing young men who shall in­ crease in wisdom and understanding.

4. Dignity appears on the fourth guidon. In the future our Fra­ ternity must impress the world that it has dignity and believes in man’s development o f his dignity. Chapter Houses must be centers o f education and culture. Chapter members must behave as digni­

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fied persons. As one reads the press and comes upon shocking reports attached to which are G reek letters, he realizes that if the dignity o f the group and the occasion had ever been even slightly thought of, such things could not be.

5. Reverence appears on this guidon. Throughout the history of our Fraternity there has always been a strong religious influ­ ence. This has come through our leaders who for the most part have been religious men and active leaders in churches. One can­ not think about our Fraternity without realizing that it has always recognized reverence. Along the march that is to come there must be reverence. W e must teach young men there are sacred things in life. T he sense o f sacred places, sacred acts, sacred events, and sacred experiences can guide us and keep us from falling. Rever­ ence is a characteristic that is cultivated. W hen it is present men take example of it, and when it is absent the experience o f living loses much o f its depth and beauty.

6. Character is the word on this guidon. In the future we have no right to exist if we do not display upright character. T he world is too active and life is too full to foster that which is mean and base. T he history of our Fraternity is the history of men of charac­ ter from Knox to Hanna to Shepardson. T he march ahead, if it is worthy o f its effort and struggle, will be seen in the development of character in young men who are receiving many o f the chief ad­ vantages and highest privileges Nation and Era can confer.

7. Usefulness can be read on this guidon. I f we have no useful­ ness in the future, we should not be. I f we are just an ornament, decoration, extravagance or time-consumer, we have no justifica­ tion for being. W e can turn to an early American patriot, Nathan Hale, whose words are inscribed on the inner wall o f the Harkness Quadrangle at Yale where he was a student in the Class o f 1775, “ I want to be useful.” O ur usefulness will be examined and tested.

W e will have to prove that we are useful to college, community, society, family and young men, if we ask the right o f a future course.

8. Commitment can now be seen on a guidon. There is little meaning in life without commitment. W ho can read JudeoChristian H istory and not be moved by the commitment of Abraham, Moses, the Prophets, Jesus, Paul, Stephen? T he depth

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o f life is found in committed souls. This Fraternity in the years ahead will be known by the committed youth it encourages to become committed men. There are the commitments one must give God, his Country and Flag, his University or College, his calling or profession, his Chapter and his fellow members o f the Fra­ ternity.

9. Fidelity stands out clearly on this guidon. H e who is faithful in a few things will be faithful in many. N o man can be faithful to others until he is first faithful to the things that are his own. Fidel­ ity has always been one o f the most important words in our Fra­ ternity. It has been made alive and real through unnumbered mem­ bers o f our Association. In the future, if we are faithful to the ideals which begat us, faithful to our university and college, faith­ ful to those things which belong in the life of the educated and trained person, we shall receive the respect and the admiration of others.

10. T he final word on the final guidon is gratitude. In the past men have been grateful for what the Fraternity has meant to them.

T hey have realized how much they have received from it. They have known how it added to their experience and how it brought them close to wonderful men and their families. Much o f that which we call “spirit” is the result o f gratitude and appreciation men have had. I could not record the number of men over the decades who unabashed have expressed, unsolicited, their deep and abiding gratitude for the Fraternity. If along the march ahead there are grateful young men, they will give thanks. T hey will lift up their hands as a morning sacrifice. T heir gratitude will be their seal and sign that in time they must pass to others that for which they so freely give thanks.

Behind us over a century and a quarter there moves a great procession beginning here in Oxford with Eight Young M en and coming up to this night. M ay this procession wind into the future.

M ay it be made up of brave and loyal young men o f our two N a­ tions. M ay they carry the guidons in the pure light of Heaven.

M ay they wear our Badge and bear our name with honor. M ay they sing our songs moved by deep sentiment. M ay the ideals which gave “our O rder birth” be lived by them in their time and passed on to those who shall follow them in the long illustrious line.

A t the Beta Bell Tower D uring the 125th General Convention o f Beta Theta Pi held in August, 1964, at the scene o f its birth on the campus o f M iam i University, a special ceremony was held at the base o f the Beta Campanile to mark the 125th anni­ versary o f the founding. A special Plaque taking note o f the occasion was unveiled and Seth R . Brooks, as President o f the Fraternity, delivered the fo l­ lowing remarks:

A S W E STA N D at this historic spot our thoughts turn to the Z j L Bible as men’s thoughts have often turned, when they have come together for an act of commemoration. W e can call to mind Moses standing before the Burning Bush and we can hear him say, “ I will take the shoes from off my feet, for the ground whereon I stand is holy ground.”

In a sense, we who have come together on the campus o f Miami University stand on what is to us hallowed ground. Symbolically, we can take the shoes from off our feet.

T he Plaque which is to be unveiled tonight is to mark our meet­ ing on this Campus 125 years after the Founding o f our Fra­ ternity. It is significant that on the Plaque there appears the word “Reaffirm.”

W e have come here from all over Beta’s Broad Domain to re­ affirm.

W e reaffirm—our belief, faith and hope in Beta Theta Pi as a great and good Fraternity.

W e reaffirm—our continued allegiance to the vision first held by the Founders.

W e reaffirm—the ideals of our Fraternity are still guiding lights for us upon our way.

W e reaffirm—our conviction that College Fraternities have a vital and important role to play in the lives of college men.

W e reaffirm—that the history of Beta Theta Pi is one of which its individual members can be justifiably proud.

W e reaffirm—our belief that each chapter and each member should endeavor to bring honor to the Fraternity.

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W e reaffirm—that as we are grateful fo r our past that we will ever keep our eyes to the future and strive for progress.

W e reaffirm—our appreciation fo r the individual Beta, Beta Par­ ents, Beta Wives and Beta Families.

W e reaffirm—our commitment to religious principles which are expressed in reverence and ethical behavior. For we are certain that right conduct and spiritual motivation have much to do with the kind o f fraternity we desire to be.

A t the Centennial John Dolibois was initiated, with seven others, by the Alpha chapter. In the Procession he carried the United States flag. H e has been a chapter President, a District Chief, Scholarship Commissioner, and at this Convention is Chair­ man o f Local Arrangements.

John’s son M ike is a native of Oxford, a student in Miami Uni­ versity, and a member o f the Alpha chapter.

I will ask M ike Dolibois to unveil the Plaque which reaffirms our devotion to and love for Beta T heta Pi.

Past, Present, and Future In 1965, during the 126th General Convention o f Beta Theta Pi held at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan, a special event called “The Presidents' Dinner” was arranged to honor those who had served the frater­ nity in that capacity. A ll o f the delegates, undergraduates attending the con­ vention, alumni, wives, sons and daughters were invited , and retiring vicepresident Clifford C. Gregg, Cincinnati '17, served as master o f ceremonies.

The principal address was delivered b y D r. Brooks:

jU L IU S CAESAR as a foremost Roman military commander had seen practically all Gaul at first hand. H e had travelled through it, he had fought over it, he had camped and lived on its terrain for months at a time. Gaul had made such a deep impression upon Caesar that he opened what became his immortal commen­ taries on the Gallic W ars with the statement, “All Gaul is divided into three parts.” Every school boy who has ever studied Caesar remembers the Latin as Caesar’s amanuensis took down the great commander’s words, “ Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres.”

As we meet here tonight in this 126th General Convention, it must be to think about Beta Theta Pi. It has occurred to me that perhaps our simplest approach would be to behold our Fraternity as Caesar beheld Gaul. For with good faith and sound reasoning we can say that Beta T heta Pi is divided into three parts. I hasten to explain that we do not refer to geographical lines or geographi­ cal positions, but to those time areas which are always eternal in man’s thinking. Beta T heta Pi is all that it has been in the past. It cannot escape its past. Beta T heta Pi is all that it is in the present.

It may try, I hope not, to misrepresent itself—but it cannot. It is just what it is. Its image cannot be other than the image it presents to man. Beta T heta Pi is all that it hopes to become on the road ahead which leads into an unseen and distant future. So first, I would like to speak in retrospection. M ay we try to look at the past and see “the pit from which we were digged and the rock from which we were hewn.” Shall we try to see our history as it rushes by, our achievements, our traditions, but above all, those whose 256

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labors we have entered into. W ithout them, we could not say as we can say, “T he lines are fallen unto us in pleasant places, yea, we have a goodly heritage.”

Then we shall look at the hour that now is. And try to ex­ amine, if we can, in the spirit of St. Paul who appreciated as few men did, what he so magnificently called, “T he great hours o f a man’s life.” W e shall attempt to take a synoptic or bird’s eye view o f this Fraternity in 1965, look at its more than 100 chapters in the great educational institutions of the United States and Canada, with more than 5000 undergraduates crossing the campuses of these two great nations and wearing upon their breasts the diamond and three stars.

Then, if possible, we shall look into the future. It is, perhaps, impossible, and yet we say, if possible. For the future is veiled and unknown, but let us see that there is a road ahead and let us try to peer as far as we can down that road. Let us try to feel for a moment as did the boy in that memorable Beta picture which I love, as he sat there in the window-seat of the old chapter house in Kenyon, and as he beheld the canopy of night, lo, three stars pierced it. H e felt the pull of the stars upon him. Unknown though the future may be in some inexplicable way we in this Fraternity feel we have a great and glorious future. I was interested to read the Convention Manual so ably put together by our Administrative Secretary, Ron Helman, to see that he had a quotation there from Shep, from the first Convention of our Fraternity in this hotel in 1924, and if you will read it, you will find that Shep spoke much about the future, and its pulling upon those of us who will be the instruments o f its fashioning, its dynamism and its image. T he im­ portant word is instruments. For the future must have the in­ struments by which it is fashioned. T he future must have the in­ struments upon which the winds can play and carve their figures.

So briefly let us turn to the past. I hasten to say that there is al­ ways danger in man’s looking backwards. However, man cannot know what he is without constantly looking over his shoulder into time and events which have rolled into history and have been the staff o f the present and out o f which the present is shaped. So it is in Beta T heta Pi. O ur library today which is outstanding, our songs which are unsurpassed, our chapters—many o f which are

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leading chapters, our magazine so ably edited, and all that we are in the present impel us to look back to the personalities o f yester­ day and the unending Beta story which then was current.

W hat member of our Fraternity is not stirred within as in vision he goes back on an August night in 1839 to the quiet little village o f Oxford, Ohio. H e stands within the shadow watching as eight young men for the first time clasp hands in the bonds which would extend, unknown to them, through distance, time and into count­ less lives to be born in later decades and in a century to come.

Looking back we see the Fraternity spread as it expands from its place o f birth to institutions of learning in pioneer colleges and to those older ones in the Northeast, the South, and then later into the universities and colleges in Canada, the Northwest, the Pacific Coast area, and the Southwest.

One of the most magnificent things about this Fraternity o f ours is that looking back we see that its original purpose has never, never, been changed. It is the purpose for our being. W ithout it there would be little excuse for our existence. It is the purpose of bringing together young men of college age in an intimate associa­ tion called a brotherhood. So full of power, so full of meaning, so full o f beauty is this idea nothing could stop it from expanding and growing. Youth has found in it compelling force and rich satisfac­ tion. M ark well that nothing yet has been able to controvert the idea of men banded together in bonds o f affection, loyalty, mutual aid, and assistance which would last through all time.

T he foes o f the Fraternity may close our chapter houses. They may rid the campus of G reek-letter societies. But one thing they can never destroy, for it is eternal in the heart and in the breast of man, is the power o f united men guided and inspired by affection for each other, loyalty to each other and the unselfishness to grant one another aid and assistance.

It is like looking at early Americana to see pictures o f our early chapters, our first chapter houses and our first Conventions.

Americana, early Americana! N o one can look at these pictures without realizing he is looking at the finest o f American and Canadian youth. These young men in their time were to be, as the Scripture says, “ the fit leaders o f the people.” T h at’s what they became. These Betas of the past dearly and devoutly loved our

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Fraternity. T heir love was deep and real. T here was nothing they would not do to uphold its ideals, advance its future and see, above all things, that other young men following after them might taste o f that inexorable experience o f being a member of Beta Theta Pi. Behind us is the 50th Anniversary which was never forgotten by those who attended that celebration at which Pater Knox spoke.

T he Centennial in 1939 at Oxford, Ohio, brought together more than 1,000 Betas from our Broad Domain. T he Campanile on the Miami campus marks that historic event. A year ago again in Oxford we gathered to pay tribute to our Founders on the 125th Anniversary of their first meeting. W ill anyone who was present ever forget that night beneath the stars when we gathered at the base of the Campanile and there unveiled a simple plaque to com­ memorate the date of our founding and there to renew the vows of our Fraternity for coming generations?

In our past there have been dominant figures who gave leader­ ship and inspiration. O ur history has been rich with names which are often on the tongues o f Betas today. W e have had commanding personalities which have stood out vividly in our long unfolding development. It would be unfair to try to list the names o f those who have been our leaders and our workers. Any coverage would be only partial and no matter how careful the endeavor, space or accident would cause sad omissions. W e can say that—giving honor and praise to the great and fascinating, and they were fascinating leaders of the past; as we have gone through the first quarter o f our second century, we have probably had names and personalities which would compare with those o f the first 100 years.

In the past our Fraternity has a record o f hard work. W e have had determination, zeal, and devotion in our individual members and chapters. M any who have been members of this Fraternity have deliberately striven for records o f achievement and attain­ ment in Beta’s name. It has been their desire to write in our annals a record o f splendid action on the campus and then in the world beyond the campus.

Nothing has played a larger part in our past than sentiment and affection. Those who have worn our badge have held the deepest sentiment for their chapter years, as do I. T hey have shown un­

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flagging affection for the Fraternity, their chapter, their university, and the members of Beta T heta Pi they have known throughout its Broad Domain.

O ur heritage is rich. As we behold our tradition we know it is always a commission. For that’s what a great tradition is— a com­ mission. W e can never repay the debt that is ours for those earlier years when our Fraternity became the fertile soil in which the fruits of later years were to spring up. W e know that all we have received from the past has been given us as an endowment. Our founders and builders wrought better than they knew. Their legacy to us is not just the material gifts we see and handle, but that spirit and loyalty which have inspired us and helped us to be­ come men we might never have been without their thought o f those who should follow after them.

So the past goes far back and is warm with life.

Second, let us try to look at this hour remembering what the poet said, “T hey were men of present valor.” W ould that we in our time might fulfill what is expected o f us and then pass on to later generations something more—more than we received.

T o me the Apostle Paul was one o f the most brilliant minds history has ever known and one o f the most valiant men who ever lived. I think that few men have ever possessed his insight into the human mind and heart and his vision as to the impulses and motiva­ tions of men. One o f the strange things about this little man from Tarsus was that he was always conscious that in a man’s life the great hour could strike.

W e see those great hours repeated again and again in our time.

N ot one o f you can read the hearts, the minds of the lads of 1965 who become pledged to our Fraternity and wear with such pride, the little white Grecian shield with three gold stars. Some of the most beautiful Beta letters I have ever received have been from boys who, the night after pledging, wrote me what it meant to wear our Grecian badge.

There is the hour of initiation when through our moving Ritual we reveal to those who enter into our Brotherhood that for 125 years this Fraternity has been preparing for this very moment when a new brother signs the roll, receives his roll number and is

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given as his right the honor and the privilege to wear the Badge of Beta T heta Pi. In the present we are as we have been in the past a united Brotherhood. Thank God, we have no factions—in the Fraternity, on the Board, among the Chiefs—no schisms, no cliques, no di­ visions. W e know that no man has a right to membership with us unless he thinks o f the Fraternity as a moral and idealistic guide in his life. It is the Fraternity we honor, for it is a spur which quickens us to w ork together for intellectual attainment and for excellence in our individual and corporate performance.

T he Fraternity today is not one type o f young man or young men. W e have brilliant scholars, outstanding athletes, creative artists, scientists, natural born leaders. W e see in our chapters, and let us always see this in our Fraternity, the well-rounded man in the well-rounded group. Let us always say this to the world, that there is nothing forced in our association, rather it is the spon­ taneous and natural coming together of kindred minds and spirits.

W e in our chapters join together because we have what our Ritual says, love for the Brotherhood.

W e have many outstanding chapters. M any of our undergradu­ ates are examples, I think, o f what the college man should be.

M any of our Alumni Associations have provided the undergradu­ ate chapters with magnificent new homes, but at the same time our alumni have given their Alma M ater support and devotion. I f I may say to you a personal word with Vice-President and Dean Romoda o f St. Lawrence here, it is that at the College I love so dearly—St. Lawrence University—the largest number o f gifts ever given, the largest number o f buildings bearing the name o f members of one Fraternity, the greatest leadership that University has had, has come from Beta Zeta chapter. You cannot w rite the history o f St. Lawrence University without writing the history o f Beta Zeta.

W hat a magnificent thing the American college fraternity can be if it will be. It always has youth! Think o f it! O n each campus wave after wave o f young men comes along in its time and then be­ comes part o f the great main which moves out. As we behold our youth we think o f young John Reily Knox, 20 years old, founding

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our Fraternity. I knew, as did a few here, Ken Rogers—in his youth—writing some of our most unforgettable and moving songs.

I’ll never forget at one of our Conventions Ken Rogers sitting there with the undergraduates around him. H e had only been out of Syracuse a few years and was introducing the Beta Marching Song. Strat spoke of Cal Hanna, great gentle soul that he was. In his youth he came out of that wonderful chapter at W ooster Col­ lege in Ohio, ended in 1913 by anti-fraternity legislation. And yet, the members of that W ooster chapter held together through the years that followed and still hold together—the few that live. In his time, he was to become the General Secretary—and a great General Secretary. I heard the story that someone said to him, “Cal, where is your office?” H e replied, “ In my hat.” But Cal Hanna as General Secretary was to give the Fraternity its direction for long to come. W e see the young Francis Shepardson leaving the Denison chapter halls. Later as one of our immortal leaders, he was to say—and take this back to your chapters— “T he Ritual is the difference between a boarding house, a rooming house, a club and a fraternity.” W hen you put on your Ritual, and God forbid that you don’t do it this way that I have heard it done— I’m sure it’s no longer done that way, where it’s mumbled and bumbled and some of the words are not even properly pronounced—no, when you put on your Ritual, remember it is the difference between a board­ ing house, a rooming house, a club and a fraternity. Jack Ryan leaves Yale in his twenties and attends 50 Beta Conventions. W illis O. Robb leaves Ohio W esleyan, which he loved to his dying day, and as one of the most outstanding leaders of Beta Theta Pi was to say something which has become a supreme truth— “A Beta is known by his spirit.” W illiam Raimond Baird, the greatest fra­ ternity man who ever lived, I think, when only 20 years of age, effected the union of Alpha Sigma Chi with Beta T heta Pi. A. J. G. Priest—whom many o f you know and admire—was a callow youth in the Idaho chapter but there he learned something which later he was to describe as we took part in the 125th An­ niversary at Oxford last August. As he and I turned away that night from that unforgettable Beta experience—the greatest I think I have every been through—he turned and said to me, “Beta

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T heta Pi has style.” And don’t you young men ever sell it cheaply.

“Beta T heta Pi has style.”

On campus after campus today we have young men in their twenties who in their time will make their contribution. These young men have gifts and ability. T hey know the power o f ex­ ample and I believe they have recognized the kind o f men, from Son of the Stars, who have made this Fraternity. T he undergradu­ ates today—I firmly believe the real undergraduate Betas—are thinking—we will make our contribution. W hen our time comes and we take over the leadership o f this Fraternity, we will carry it forward and nothing, nothing will deter us.

It is here I would attempt to say something not often said in a Convention o f primarily young people, and over the years I have spoken to many groups of young people. I’ve never heard this note struck because youth has a long view, not old age. Beta T heta Pi is the possessor of some o f the most moving and rousing Frater­ nity songs ever written and sung— “ Gemma nostra candeat.” “ Oh, pass the Loving Cup around, N or pass a brother by, W e all drink from the same canteen in Beta T heta P i.” “ Come, smoke a friendly pipe with me, and drink my loyal ale, Come, tilt a chair and loaf awhile against my fireside rail.” And “ Marching Along.” H ow ­ ever, men who have lived long in Beta T heta Pi may not speak o f it often, but they know a poignant part of their fraternity experience is the Beta threnody.

Over the years countless members of our Fraternity from indi­ vidual chapters have left us. Tonight I pay tribute to those who have passed away during this year that now closes. It is not pos­ sible to memorialize each one as did Tennyson his dearly beloved friend, Arthur H enry Hallam, through In Memoriam. However, I pay simple but heartfelt tribute to two o f our Brotherhood who were with us a year ago. H arry M . Easton, Pennsylvania ’26, my dear friend, was a Beta brother and a Beta father. H e served with distinction as District Chief, Vice-President and Trustee, and then as the spur and spirit in the New England Association. Ben C. Grosscup, W ittenberg ’16, was a Beta son, Beta father and Beta nephew. There was no service too large for him to render his col­ lege, chapter and fraternity. As a lawyer he gave the Fraternity

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hours and hours of service, and played a major part in two re­ visions of the Code. H e served as Vice-President and Trustee and Convention President. On November 16, 1964, Beta T heta Pi lost one of its most cultured and dedicated leaders through the death of Harold J. Baily, Amherst ’08. Bing Baily represented the finest in the educational, legal, artistic, religious, and fraternity world. H e was a person o f outstanding gifts. H e gave the Fraternity noble leadership. H e served as District Chief and for nine years as General Secretary. H e appointed me District Chief in 1925 for District III, and when I moved to New England he named me Chief of D istrict II. Bing and I had an intimate and beautiful friendship and among all the Betas I have known there was none, or is none, I look up to as a man of refinement, loyalty, usefulness, and unselfishness more than I did and do to Bing Baily.

T heir going from us leaves emptiness. Beyond their service to the Fraternity these three men had our love and devotion because as men they exemplified the highest and the noblest o f Beta life and tradition.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old, Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

A t the going down of the sun, and in the morning we shall remember them.

In this tribute I pay our greatest respect and admiration to three Beta wives—Geraldine Easton, Elizabeth Grosscup, and M ar­ guerite Baily.

T oday the Fraternity, o f course, has problems. N o one knows what its next hurdle or difficulty will be. W e must correct any mistakes we make. W e must avoid indiscretion. W e must not jeopardize our name or reputation. In this present hour we have more blessings than man has had in any period in the past. O ur undergraduates have better education, finer housing, more alumni support, and greater General Fraternity help and direction. It is in the present hour incumbent upon us to seek, to strive, to find, and not to yield. W e must measure up to our past. W e must also try to make our large and immortal contribution in our splendid hour.

T hird and finally, we look down the road ahead. Man is a per­ son, strangely, who ever feels the pull of the unknown and the

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unseen. T h a t’s a curious thing about man. H e feels the pull of what he doesn’t know and has never seen. N o one can say what lies ahead for our Fraternity. W e can only resolve to give it our loyalty and our devotion.

In the future we must be, above all else, a Fraternity. It was for that purpose we were founded! It is for that purpose we have existed for a century and a quarter! W hether a chapter be made up of seven or 70, there is only one key that unlocks the door o f its power, satisfaction, fulfillment and future, and that is the key forged in brotherhood.

In the future the richest joys that we o f the present can have will be what our forebears referred to so sincerely and sentimentally as “ great hours we spent together in Beta T heta P i.” T he chapter house, chapter meeting, chapter dinner, initiation, General Con­ vention, must be the milieu in which we spend—as I pray we will here—great hours together. Such hours shall then for you young men become the choice and cherished memories in the years when you join the Silver Greys.

Intellectual attainment will be our goal in the future as it is today and has been in the past. W e are a brotherhood o f men who believe that one of our rarest gifts from God is the mind. T h at mind must be trained, whetted, refined, and made ready to give leadership through the deepest understanding o f history and the highest rea­ son for being.

In the years ahead nothing—and I say this with all the power I have—nothing will take the place of moral stature. M an may for­ give himself, for that’s our trait, for his immorality, but it is never overlooked by his fellow men or unnoticed by history. T he man o f principle and integrity who has developed character and selfdiscipline is the man humanity must always turn to for its salva­ tion.

As a Fraternity we must teach those who will march into the years ahead that they must be known for their dignity. If, as the Eighth Psalm says, “ W e are crowned with glory and honor and made a little lower than the angels,” then we must never let that crown fall from us.

O ur future must give university, college, community, and fra­ ternity the spirit o f usefulness. W e live in a hard and bitter world

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and no mercy will be shown us if we are useless in the lives of young people. W e must show that we have a useful organization o f high-minded and dedicated men, and we must inculcate into the minds and hearts o f those who are initiated into our Fraternity that they must live useful lives.

In the future, as in the past, we must be known as a Fraternity and we must know about our Fraternity. I will guarantee you un­ dergraduates that the more you know about it, the more you will be astonished by its history, achievements, and exemplars. It is a story that never ends and it is one that those who love it never tire o f telling and hearing.

T he years ahead will require of us that we do not tarnish or destroy the original purpose which brought us together. W hen M rs. Booth, wife of the founder of the Salvation Army, was dying, she turned to her daughter, Evangeline, and said one of the most poignant things and one of the most, I think, soul-shaking truths that I have ever heard. She said, “Evangeline, why is it that God can’t keep a thing pure for more than one generation?” As I have looked at associations and organizations, as I have read history, I would say to you that one of the hardest tasks that man has is to keep anything that has been formed or created pure for more than one generation. W e must keep our Fraternity pure in the genera­ tions that are to follow.

In the unknown that is before us there will be a supreme test.

It has to do with the idea of worth and value. Each member of Beta T heta Pi must constantly ask himself, “ Do I worthily wear the Badge and bear the name of Beta T heta Pi?” T w o unforgettable passages, although written a century ago, apply to us tonight. Edmund Burke, who was one of the supreme masters o f the English language said, “Society is a compact be­ tween the living, the dead, and the yet unborn.” Beta Theta Pi is a compact. W e hold a legacy from the past, a trust in the present, and an investment for the future.

One o f my favorite writers is W alter Pater. I know o f no one who wrote the English language or who writes it today who surpasses W alter Pater in his power to write prose. In his re­ nowned work, Marius the Epicurean, he gives the impression Cornelius made on young Marius. Listen to Pater: “Everything

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about Cornelius seemed to be the sign of some other things far beyond him.” M ay I paraphrase—all things about the past and the present o f Beta T heta Pi seem to be the sign o f some other things far beyond us.

Robert Frost, whose wife was a St. Lawrence alumna, wrote an unusual poem— Choose Something Like a Star. Could he have been thinking o f us when he said— So when at times the mob is swayed To carry praise or blame too far, We may choose something like a star To stay our minds on and be staid.

I’m glad that you are Betas. I ’m glad that F m a Beta too.

“A Thankful and Grateful Heart” Seth Brooks retired as president o f Beta Theta Pi at the 127th General Con­ vention held in A ugust, 1966, at B igw in Inn, Lake o f Bays, Ontario. H e was asked to be the principal speaker at the convention banquet which was attended by over fo u r hundred delegates, alumni, fraternity officers, wives, sons and daughters. W ith form er General Treasurer Ralph N . Fey acting as toastmaster, D r. Brooks chose the occasion to express his thoughts concerning his many years o f service to the fraternity. A fte r being presented w ith a bound volume o f letters o f tribute written b y his friends fr o m coast to coast, he spoke as follow s:

R

A LPH, I am very glad that you are presiding tonight. W hen _ the Board talked with me about the Banquet and thoughtfully asked me who I would like to preside I said—Ralph Fey. It was not because there were not others I would have loved to have pre­ side, but it was because I think that you and I have had a unique relationship. About the time you were beginning your w ork as Administrative Secretary, which was to be a magnificent service to our Fraternity, and at a time when you were deeply involved in remodeling, reconditioning and furnishing the Administrative Office in Oxford, I began my w ork as General Secretary. The program and policies you initiated will long be a high water mark o f excellency. I appreciated this and was thankful that for seven years we were in touch with each other daily. I always had the feeling we did not w ork as two separate men, but as one. I must say that I think those seven years of our joint effort were signifi­ cant years in Beta Theta Pi. I first greet you as the Presiding Officer o f this occasion and couple with it my expression o f abiding affection for all you did for me, and, o f course, for all you did for our Fraternity.

I turn to recognize the members of the Board o f Trustees, past and present, the General Officers, past and present, the District Chiefs, past and present, the Beta wives, Beta sweethearts, and Beta girls here tonight. I also address myself to those of you who 268

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are undergraduates and privileged to be members o f a great and good Fraternity.

There are no words in my vocabulary with which I can thank all for this Book which General Secretary Romoda has presented me on your behalf. I will cherish it beyond anything you will ever know. Strange to say on my desk at home there is a leather letter container which holds choice and rare letters which have been w ritten me by Betas. Often late at night when the day’s w ork is done I read some of these letters again.

As to the letters in this Book, which I look forward to reading, I am reminded o f one o f the greatest souls who ever lived. This man has been a guiding influence in my life. H e was a man who had known the vicissitudes of life. H e was fortunate in having many friends in the churches to which he had ministered and once he w rote to the Galatians, “Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.” T he letters in this Book will be thought o f as having come to me from those who have written them from their own heart and in their own hand.

I cannot let this opportunity go by without acknowledging the birth today of a third child and second son to Ronald and Lou Helman. In the year I have worked with Ron, he and Lou and their children, Betsy and Randy, have endeared themselves to me.

I cannot take part in naming their new son, but I have often thought Brooks is a lovely name for a boy or girl.

Recently Spig Fawcett, Andy NicholofF, Ron Helman, and I were at the W ittenberg chapter. I spoke at a dinner at which alumni and undergraduates were present. I made the statement that when Ron was born his parents knew he would be a Beta, so they named him Ronald P. Helman. T he “ P ” standing for Pi. It is my hope that the new Helman son will have in his name Beta, Theta, or Pi, but should he not, I am confident that in time he will worthily wear our Badge and bear our name.

Tonight, I am going to be very personal, perhaps more so than I should be, but on this particular occasion I am sure you will for­ give me and understand.

M y story begins with my older brother, John, who always wanted to go to W est Point. Through a strange circumstance in the fall o f 1916 he entered St. Lawrence University, which had been

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founded by Universalists, but it was not for that reason my brother went there. I remember the first letter he w rote home which overflowed with enthusiasm for life at that small college in a far-off northern land. T he days and hours were so filled for him we did not hear often until one day he w rote that he had been pledged

by Beta Zeta Chapter o f Beta T heta Pi. W e had both been active in our high school fraternity which had over 30 chapters. As an Eastern boy I knew o f Deke, Psi U, DU, and one or two other fraternities, but I thought what a strange name Beta T heta Pi was, for I had never heard of it.

During Christmas vacation, when my brother was home, I was over-awed by his glowing accounts of the men in the chapter. H e received Christmas cards from all of them signed “in -kai-,” and he was constantly singing, “Come Smoke a Friendly Pipe,” and other Beta songs. In April, 1917, on the day President W oodrow W ilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany I travel­ led alone by coach the 366 miles from New York C ity to Canton, N ew York. It was my Easter vacation, and I was to spend a week with my brother. I arrived in the early Spring evening and we walked from the railroad station past the five college buildings and into the open door of the Beta House, which stood on the cam­ pus. From that moment there were two stars shining above me— St. Lawrence University and Beta Theta Pi—the light o f those stars has never dimmed. O n the 17th day o f September, 1918, I became enrolled as a student at St. Lawrence. W orld W ar I was on and only three men were in the Beta chapter. M y brother had gone to w ar with the first St. Lawrence Unit. I had been told to go to the Beta house as there were no college dormitories. On the following morning I became pledged and because the house was to be used as a Student Army Training Corps Barracks, I along with thirteen other Freshmen was initiated on September 27, 1918. The Initiation was performed by the men in the chapter, Betas on the Faculty, and Betas in the town. I received my Badge from Dean John M urray Atwood, St. Lawrence ’89, who was to be my Dean in Theological School. In 1922 I received my B.S. from President Richard Eddy Sykes, St. Lawrence ’83.

I was not old enough to be in the SATC, so I lived in a boarding house. T he Armistice came in November, 1918, and February 1

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we were back in the Beta house. From that day forward I had a consuming passion. It was to make our chapter the best on the campus. I was never elected to a chapter office, although I was Steward of the house for six years. I am well aware that with cer­ tain men in the chapter there was hostility toward me because of all I believed our chapter should be and do. W hen June came in 1919 and the alumni returned I realized that most o f the leading alumni and Trustees o f the college were not only Betas but men who had deep and overwhelming affection for the Fraternity and Chapter to which they gave witness at our alumni banquet.

M y first General Secretary was George Howard Bruce, Centre ’99. He came to visit our chapter, arriving by train. I can never explain it, although I have thought often about it, but I as a Fresh­ man was the only member o f the chapter to meet him at the Canton Station as he alighted from the train, and I carried his bag up to the Beta house. O ur D istrict Chief was Hugh Abbott, St. Lawrence ’03, son o f Vasco P. Abbott, St. Lawrence 1867, and brother of W orth Abbott, St. Lawrence ’00. A t St. Lawrence these three Betas and John Young, St. Lawrence ’24, killed in an accident after his sophomore year, are memorialized by the Abbott-Young Beta Temple. Hugh Abbott gave an Award on a competitive basis to the Beta freshman who had done most for the college and chapter. It was a trip with all expenses paid to the Convention. I won that award, and with my brother, John, who was Chapter President and Convention Delegate, I attended my first Convention—the 81st in August, 1919, at the N ew Ocean House, Swampscott, Massachusetts. There I saw most of the great leaders o f our Fra­ ternity, and from that date I have known every one o f them. One o f my regrets is that I never knew W illiam Raimond Baird. H e died in 1917.

After graduation I went on and received my Bachelor o f Divin­ ity Degree. M y first charge was in the beautiful M ohawk Valley o f New York State in the fascinating community o f Little Falls.

Richard Eddy Sykes began his ministry in this church. I had not been there long before I received a surprise letter. District Chief Atwood G. Manley, St. Lawrence ’16, was resigning and had written General Secretary Harold J. Baily hoping he would ap­ point me as his successor. Bing invited me to be Chief o f District

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III. I accepted, and had an amazing experience with my three chapters. Union, Colgate, and St. Lawrence were small colleges and each chapter had about 35 members. I came to know inti­ mately the three campuses, the Presidents, Deans, Alumni, and ac­ tive Betas. N o words of mine can express how this experience en­ larged my life. M any friendships I made in those years still con­ tinue. In 1928 I went to Massachusetts to serve the First Parish in Malden (Universalist). After fifteen years as minister of this church Richard Eddy Sykes became President of St. Lawrence. I again heard from Bing. George H . Hazzard, Stanford ’96, the D istrict Chief, had resigned. Bing asked me to become Chief of District II. For six years I served in this capacity. M y chapters were Amherst, Dartmouth, Williams, W esleyan, and Yale. W hen Dick Steele was Chief of D istrict I a switch was made and he took W esleyan and Yale, and I took Brown and M .I.T . So it was that 1 became intimately involved in these seven great New England institutions. T hey were still small compared to today. I knew the Presidents, the Deans, the Alumni, and the active mem­ bers, and again there began friendships which are still active and alive to this hour. I served for three years as National Alumni Counsellor. T he 1938 Convention at Poland Spring, Maine, was not one of the happiest or proudest in our history. Several of us, myself included, left that Convention with the thought we would never again be involved in the affairs o f the Fraternity.

January 1, 1939, I became minister o f the Universalist National Memorial Church, Washington, D. C. For eleven years I was occupied and absorbed in building my church and in community and denominational responsibilities. I spoke at several Alumni Associations, surveyed Sewanee for the Board o f Trustees, and through the kindness of General Secretary Cliff Gregg served two years as Chairman of the Sisson Awards Committee, and in 1948 at Mackinac gave the Banquet address. Again through Cliff Gregg I attended the Convention at Glenwood Springs, Colorado, in 1949.1 must say that in every way that was the worst Convention I ever attended, but in all fairness there were numerous circum­ stances which caused this almost tragic gathering. Edward M .

Brown, Miami ’31, who had been on my committee when I was chairman of the Charter Committee at Old Point Comfort in 1930,

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which granted a charter to Florida, was on the Board of Trustees when we met in Glenwood Springs. T he last night of the Conven­ tion Ed came to me and asked, “Are you going to be in N ew York C ity?” I said, “ Yes, on the 12th o f October. Just before I left W ashington for Colorado I agreed to preach the Homecoming Sermon at St. Lawrence, so I know the date I will be taking the sleeper up from N ew York.” Ed asked me to meet him in New York City for dinner. I did and after dinner we went to his office on Park Avenue and talked about the Fraternity. It was then he told me that the Trustees wanted me to be General Secretary. I threw my hands up in the air and said, “N ever!” T h at night I did not sleep a wink. I returned to W ashington and thought and thought. I decided to ask three Betas, sure that each one would say no. One o f these was Columbus S. Barber, W est Virginia ’20, who became Editor of the Magazine, and another was Charles E. Odegaard, Dartmouth ’32, who was in Washington, D. C., as head o f the American Council of Learned Societies. I had known Charlie when he was in the chapter at Dartmouth. H e is now Presi­ dent o f Washington at Seattle. T o my amazement all three said I must do it. I had not yet broached the subject to my wife. I was sure that when I did she would say no, and that would end it. H ow ­ ever, when I told her of the conversation with Ed she urged me to accept. N o one encouraged me, helped me and made more sacrifices for me than did she. G . H erbert Smith, who was President, came through Washington in December, and I gave him my affirmative answer. I will never forget how wonderful Cliff Gregg and Ralph Fey were in helping me make my start. H ere at Bigwin in 1950 I became General Secretary and served in that capacity until 1960, when I became President. I made over 700 chapter visitations. I knew thousands of undergraduates. I lived very closely to my District Chiefs, Board of Trustees, General Officers, Ralph Fey, Fred Brower, Ron Helman, and the Oxford staff. In our three Ad­ ministrative Secretaries we have had remarkable men and leaders.

In our Editors we have had wonderful men. It is with deep satisfac­ tion that at this Convention 1 see follow me as President a man of attainment and one of the most devoted Betas I have known.

Grandfather, father, now President, and son make a long illustri­ ous line, and Mildred Rich will be an outstanding First Lady.

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I could go on for hours telling Beta stories and recounting almost unbelievable Beta experiences. I could tell stories o f thousands of Betas I have known, but instead let me recount what the Fraternity represents to me. This will be difficult because I must deal in a paradox trying to make real what is ineffable and trying to explain what is inexplicable.

Beta Theta Pi is an offspring of the American higher educational concept. It has never for one moment from its birth in 1839 on the campus o f Miami University existed independent of the college, university, and technical institute. For 127 years it has drawn its strength and membership from undergraduates on the campus. Its members have always felt both their debt to and appreciation for their Alma M ater. Countless of its members as college presidents, deans, and professors have played a large part in the growth and development of Higher Education in our two Nations. N o end of its members have been large donors to education, and on campus after campus buildings are named for members of our Fraternity.

T hat one Association like Beta T heta Pi should have been repre­ sented by a chapter with members on so many renowned campuses in the United States and Canada is in itself a monument to that Association. Membership for the individual Beta has made him a part of the amazing American and Canadian educational dream become a reality. N o man can think of his being a Beta without first thinking of the institution where his chapter is located. (W e say John Reily Knox, Miami 1839.) H e knows that the high aims of his fraternity were born out of the thoughts o f undergraduates as to the kind of Association which would have the largest and no­ blest meaning for them. In the deepest sense the member o f our Fraternity is one who believes in the educated man. H e is not parochial, but rather he sees his own experience in the college or university as but a tiny facet in a tremendous scheme and program.

H e knows, too, that his fraternity has been keenly aware that it was actively called upon to enhance the campus scene and to enrich the life o f each undergraduate member. T h at is one reason why so many Betas have shown such loyalty to their Alma M ater, their chapter days, and the on-goingness of the Fraternity from its small beginnings into a constantly changing and growing association of men whose lives have received the benefit o f higher education.

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Our Fraternity has always been allied to what William James called “religiousnessBeta T heta Pi has not been the possession or crea­ tion o f any one religion, church, faith, or sect, nor has it given ex­ clusive allegiance to any one o f these. Nevertheless, it has not lived in a vacuum. From its birth and throughout its history almost without exception and universally, those who have moulded it and led it have been men who possessed religiousness. They brought to the Fraternity the loftiest convictions o f their lives and built these into the structure o f our Association. In turn these men felt the strength o f kindred minds and spirits and strengthened by the knowledge that others throughout our Broad Domain felt as did they, it became their lot to give increased devotion and loyalty to their profession, business, community and church. O f the many deep impressions I have had about Beta T heta Pi one which has continued from my earliest experience is that the basic and funda­ mental purposes o f our leaders have always been closely akin to religiousness which man senses whether he confesses it or not. W e in Beta T heta Pi have refused to identify the Fraternity with any one outward form of religion or church, but there has never been a time when we have not been proud to acknowledge that we wished our Fraternity to have the full benefit o f all the spiritual gifts our members could bring. W e have not been afraid to pause individu­ ally and collectively in acts of devotion and communion when we have assembled. I could name scores o f men who have impressed upon the Fraternity the beauty and the bravery they learned through their religious training.

To understand our Fraternity one must see it in terms of a noble type of vianhood. From John Reily Knox on most o f our outstanding leaders have been known as men o f character and dignity. M any o f us would say that the finest men we have known were in this Brotherhood. M any o f them were strong characters. Some were sweet and gentle souls. Others left upon us the imprint o f an ex­ emplary life. Throughout the years all o f our Alumni Associations have almost steadily been dominated not by autocrats, but by men who received the plaudits and admiration o f their Beta brothers because o f what they were. For forty years I have known the members o f our Board o f Trustees. T hey were not only picked men, but they were men who grew up in office and gave tone and

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character to our endeavors and name. They were men looked up to and trusted. There has never been a finer continuing group of men than those who have made up the Corps o f District Chiefs.

H ow we have found such men, prevailed upon them to serve, and then seen them often go beyond our expectations is one o f the most interesting sagas we have written. A t a General Convention one feels that there are lustrous lives which have been upon our rolls.

I have my list and you have yours which convinces us that many of the grandest persons we have known have been wearers o f our Badge. T hey often walked among us and “wist not that their face shone.” It has been unplanned but inevitable that those who could not behave with courtesy, manners, and dignity disappeared from our councils, considerations, gatherings, and fellowship. One who has visited undergraduate chapter after undergraduate chapter over decades has been in the presence of Beta boys who were true Sons o f the Stars. T hey exuded their enthusiasm and devotion, and cast the shadow before them of the part they would play in our on­ going tw enty or thirty years hence.

“Friendship gave our order birth,'’’ as we sing in one o f our songs.

T he rich gift of friendship has been the continuing sign and seal of our Fraternity. W ithin its bonds tens o f thousands o f lasting friendships have been made. N o shelf o f books could record the unending history of Beta friendships which have lasted through life. T hey have been within chapters, between men o f different chapters, between Fraternal Fifties and undergraduates. W e who have worked and labored in this Fraternity have found many of life’s richest friendships. N o end o f us would readily admit that practically all o f our closest and dearest friends are Betas. It is hard to comprehend how deep these friendships go, and how far they range in an individual’s life. There is something to pity in the person who would destroy a Fraternity like ours, which has pro­ vided so many men with a treasure house filled with beautiful and inspiring friendships. For those who assail the Fraternity System there are two things which apply to them. T he first is to ask that they be forgiven, “ for they know not what they do.” T he second is to pity those who have never known that which has been to us a guiding inspiration and challenge— “W hat you ask in friendship, I answer in fidelity.”

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I said earlier that in what I call my total experience in the Fra­ ternity there has been something ineffable and inexplicable. In the Bible there is a profound and lyrical text— “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.” (St. John 3:8.) So it is with the history o f our Fraternity and what has ripened in men who continued “ to love the Brotherhood.” W hat happened to them and how it came they know not.

I am reminded o f the magnificent closing statement Albert Schweitzer makes in his Quest of the Historical Jesus. Schweitzer says, “H e comes as one without a name.” So many, many things have happened to so many, many o f us within the Fraternity that if someone were to say in the vernacular o f the day, “ You name it,” we would have to say, “ No, this comes without a name.” As I recall Betas by the thousands who have told me what the Fra­ ternity has meant to them I have tried to fathom what it was. From our beginning we have had “ the great ones.” W h at fire touched their brow and what power warmed their heart? But our annals go far beyond the story o f The Great Ones for in most unexpected places and at most unexpected times one sees those Betas whose brows have been touched and whose hearts warmed. O ur Fra­ ternity can be likened to a subterranean stream which has flowed for more than a century and a quarter. Suddenly its inspiration and power bubble up in a chapter, a Convention, an installation, a Beta speech, an individual life, a man of achievement who confesses that nothing has surpassed his undergraduate days in his Beta chapter. This experience has given men a sense o f style, for Beta T heta Pi has done all things on a high level. It gives one right attitude toward scholarship, friendship, mutual aid and assistance.

It leads one through a beautiful story which is interwoven through college halls, chapter rooms, and almost sacred human loyalty and devotion.

I would not foolishly idealize our Fraternity. All members of our Fraternity have not been nice persons. W e have had our feuds, quarrels, and angry men. W e have had some who have betrayed their trust. W e have had the over-ambitious and schemers. This is so because we are a human institution. It may always be so. H ow ­ ever, as one takes in the Beta panorama he realizes that Beta T heta

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Pi has had one of the noblest records as an association of men. This is so because its purpose has been to teach men to uphold nobility in youth, maturity, and age as all who have taken our obligation early learned.

M y friend and teacher, the late W illard L. Sperry, Dean of Harvard Divinity School, used to say, “The true church is invisible and known only to God.” T h at which has been truest in my Beta experience is “ invisible” but I have felt it in the old chapter hall, at alumni banquets, at Beta conventions, at anniversaries, and as I have walked and met with Betas who have been the choicest friends of my life.

W hen I completed twenty-five years in my present pastorate I asked only that we observe the date with a Service o f W orship to which all our people would come. There were four speakers— one for the church, one for the community, one for St. Lawrence University (Philip Young, St. Lawrence ’31), and one for Beta T heta Pi. Ralph N . Fey graciously responded to our invitation, and at his own expense came to W ashington and spoke magnificently to the congregation. M y people asked that I deliver the Message.

M y topic was T he Text. I said that for the first half o f my ministry I was moved by a text which never left me— “ Did not our hearts burn within us as H e talked with us in the way and opened to us the Scriptures?” Mine had been a ministry of a burning heart.

However, the latter part o f my ministry had been formed and motivated by another text— “ Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honor dwelleth.” M y ministry had drawn more and more on the sanctity and solace o f the church.

Tonight as I stand here the years drop away. I see a lad of seven­ teen standing in the parlor of the old Beta house at St. Lawrence as there is pinned upon his breast that Badge which over the years he was to wear with increasing gratitude and pride. Little did he know that night he would begin the Beta adventure. For years his text was, “ I am a Beta.” This expressed that he was a member and took satisfaction and joy in being part of a great and good Fra­ ternity. But as time went by as was the case o f the second text in my ministry there came a second text as I worked for the Fra­ ternity. It was, “They made me a Beta.” I realized more and more that I was a member of our Fraternity because of those who had

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gone before me, and those with whom I had walked. T he eight young men who founded our Fraternity, all the leaders I have known since 1918, my fellow Chiefs, the Chiefs I appointed, my fellow members on the Board o f Trustees, three Administrative Secretaries, Beta alumni, and undergraduates—all played their part in making me a Beta.

I come to the close of my active service with a thankful and grateful heart. I realize that this Fraternity has never owed me anything, but I will always owe it much. I am conscious of a debt to it I can never repay. 1 will, therefore, forever be repaying it in the spirit of knowing and realizing, “T hey made me a Beta.” Still, I close as I have so many times— I am glad that you are Betas. I’m glad that I’m a Beta too.

A H igh Honor On the night o f December 2, 1966, at the annual banquet o f the National Interfratemity Conference, the Conference Gold M edal was presented to Seth R . Brooks. T his award goes to that individual who in the estimation o f that organization has contributed the most to thefraternity movement.

When accepting this great tribute, Dr. Brooks spoke asfollow s:

H E customary thing at such a time as this is to say, “ I have no words to express my gratitude for this great honor.” I do have words. It is wonderful! It is marvellous! I accept this medal because I believe it is given to all who have labored long and faith­ fully in love for the brotherhood. I receive it as a symbol and as one man for the countless men who year in and year out have served their chapters and fraternities.

I realize that I was first a member of my own chapter. I loved it very much. Then there came the day when I realized that I was a member o f a large fraternity which extended throughout many universities and colleges in the United States and Canada. Follow­ ing this there came the hour when I crossed into a new land and realized that I belonged to all fraternities. I say tonight I feel that I am a member o f each and every fraternity. One is reminded of a wonderful statement written long ago by a perceptive soul, “He who would be faithful to his own things must first be faithful to the things of others.” I can say to you in truth I have tried to be faithful to the things of all fraternities and I trust I have been faithful to the things of the particular fraternity whose name I bear.

Rudyard Kipling tells a story of a little Eurasian boy. H e was an unattractive, pitiful, neglected, starved soul. One day he fell in love with a beautiful girl. Kipling says o f him, “ Love had made this thing a man.” So it is with the college fraternity. It has taken hundreds and thousands o f frightened, lonely, insecure, and uncer­ tain young men and changed them into confident and resolute hu­ man beings. T he ideals o f these fraternities have made many, many lads men.

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Robert Louis Stevenson and his immortal story “T he Light Bearers” come to mind. In a small coastal village in the British Isles the scene is laid. H ere on certain nights the young men o f the village at an appointed hour leave their homes. Each carries under his cape a lighted lantern. T he young men move through the nar­ row streets. Sometimes it is pitch dark. Some nights there is a full moon. There are nights when there is fog, mist, rain, or snow. No one speaks as they move to a little beach. H ere in silence they form a circle. As the waves lap the beach and the seas roar beyond, at a given signal each man would throw back his cloak. Then it was that the light of each man would be revealed to all the others and the light o f all the others would be revealed to each man.

T o you in good conscience I can say that I have tried to take whatever gifts Almighty God in His goodness has bestowed upon me and reveal them to you as my light and I know that I am the recipient of the light which all o f you have revealed to me. I am a very appreciative and humble person and I thank you.

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Sermons From the early 1920's when he began his first pastorate, Seth Brooks in­ fluenced the lives o f thousands o f persons through his service to the church.

A fte r receiving his Bachelor o f D ivin ity Degree fr o m St. Lawrence University, he was appointed to the m inistry o f the Universalist Church at Little Falls, N ew York. H e served there until 1928 when he moved to Massachusetts to serve the First Parish in the town o f Malden. H is service there covered a period o f eleven years and on January 1, 1939, he became minister o f the Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington, D.C. The editor faced a difficult task in attempting to select a fe w representative sermons fo r inclusion in this collection o f D r. Brooks’ works. Each person who has listened to his sermons has his favorites. N o two people, i f asked to pick a half dozen to be included, w ould make the same selection. The ones which follow are among those which are best known or which brought the greatest response fr o m listeners.

Sameness and Change R. FRA N K BOYDEN was for years the great Headmaster of Deerfield Academy. For over half a century he led one o f our finest Preparatory Schools. T here is no one in the field of Education, who knows M r. Boyden, who does not respect, esteem and admire him.

A t a Commencement at which M r. Boyden spoke he said, “ W e believe in sameness and change in Deerfield.” He added, “Sameness that is sound and change that is wisely made.” W e would do well to memorize this statement which was proved to a wise and stimulating man by years of experience in carrying on education through the institution or organization known as an Academy.

Jesus is often portrayed as an innovator and founder o f a new religion. Jesus was an innovator, but study reveals he believed in sameness that was sound in religion and in change only when it could be wisely made. In the 5th Chapter o f St. M atthew he re­ minds his listeners “not one jot or tittle shall pass away.” If we speak o f Jesus the innovator, we must balance it with Jesus who regarded the jot and tittle. As to founding a new religion, it is my belief Jesus never had any idea o f doing any such thing. He did believe wise changes ought to be made in the institutional religious life of his people.

T he unending struggle within religious bodies is seen in the tension between sameness and change. In this church we try to take the sane, practical and reasonable attitude toward sameness and change. Sameness for the sake o f sameness can lead to dry rot and change just to be different can lead to the chaotic and bizarre.

T he danger implicit in our topic is one preacher will declare what he believes should remain the same and what must be changed. Another preacher may make his declaration and be anti­ thetical to the statement of the other man. M r. Boyden helps us— “ W e believe in sameness that is sound and change that is wisely made.” Beyond and above my own beliefs about sameness and change I know each person must apply his examination and test.

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One must ask about sameness and change in religion. Can sameness in religion that is sound be disregarded? I answer, no.

Religion externally is always fluid, mobile, in motion and changing. Someone is always making new embroidery to adorn religion, but within religion there are things always the same. Re­ ligious customs change. Man may use different forms, modes, expressions. Aspiration is always reaching up. W orship is always going out to the higher. Reverence is always awe before the sacred.

Common loyalty is always the mark o f men in An Assembly of God seeking together the divine and holy W ill.

In Albany, New York, in one of the State buildings there is a mural which depicts man’s life in science, art, agriculture, law, etc. One panel has to do with religion. It shows a primitive man and woman before a concaved stone from which smoke rises. So true has the artist been to what he wishes to express for religion, that one finds in the physical attitudes of this man and woman upon their knees aspiration, worship, and reverence.

Cyrus Dallin, who did the Equestrian Statue which stands be­ fore the Boston Museum of A rt, spent years trying to capture the physical attitude of worship. W hen he created “T he Appeal to the G reat Spirit” he made the Indian with his arms thrown open and back and his face lifted in worship. Later I was standing in a Cathedral in Europe. In came a man who from his dress was a peasant. H e carried a cap in his hand as he walked to the Altar rail.

There he stood for a second, and then threw back his arms and lifted his face to heaven in the physical attitude of worship.

Change is ever occurring in religious forms. Changes are needed, but are they wisely made? A young minister was called to one of our large and important churches. Behind it were years of history, tradition, and accomplishment. It was a place of worship of per­ sons who had made their mark in life. Maybe some things needed change. There may have been a slightly encrusted tradition. This man immediately changed the Order of Service which had been used as long as anyone could remember. H e took the Service Book out of the pews. It was not that he made changes—it was that any­ one could make changes so unwisely. In a year he was looking for another church.

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In another o f our churches, which had had a century o f promi­ nence through distinguished men and women who had been leaders in the community, a new minister appeared. Over the Chancel Arch were the words— “ God is love.” Those are terrible words for a Humanist! T he new minister said he wanted them covered.

The congregation refused, and the following summer when no one was around he got a ladder and painted out “ God is love.” Can one wonder why this man discovered that a change was required of him in terms of a pastorate?

Sameness that is sound! Isn’t it “ the faith o f our fathers” ? A minister told me he detested, “T he faith once and for all time de­ livered to the saints.” I could appreciate what he was saying, but the “ faith of our fathers” is a faith which endured “dungeon, fire and sword.” Is it not, as we shall say in the Communion Service, “This do in remembrance o f me” ? I would do this in remembrance of my mother. I would do it in remembrance of Jesus. There is no great religion where there is no remembrance of lives which have been dearest, nearest, and most inspiring to us. Is it not that a guilty conscience speaks? Is it not that man’s soul in loneliness seeks release from fear, if nothing else, of death?

New occasions teach new duties. W e are not living in the time o f Luther, Knox, W esley, M urray, Channing, or Phillips Brooks.

There must be outward changes, but reformation in religion can­ not forsake truth that abides, the means o f grace and the hope of glory and man as “ the candle of the Lord.”

One must ask about sameness and change in our home. A t the New York W orld’s Fair there was a display of life-sized mechani­ cal figures showing the American home at the turn o f the century.

There was a coal range, flat irons heating on it; a phonograph wail­ ing from a wax cylinder; a wall telephone which had to be rung by hand; and a washing machine which had to be manually cranked.

On the floor was a dog which moved its head and barked.

In Oxford, Ohio, is the M cGuffey Museum which shows the home of the author of the McGuffey Reader. It is preserved just as it was when he lived there. It is charming to visit and it is devoid of modern improvements.

In Asheville, N orth Carolina, one may visit Tom W olfe’s

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mother’s boarding house as it was in 1914.1 am a great admirer of Tom W olfe and I have been twice to this house where he lived.

Each time I was thankful I never had to board there.

In Dearborn Village one can see a display of Americana. It is fascinating, but an hour of it was enough for me.

As a boy when I used to go to my grandfather’s home in W ashingtonville, New York, of a summer evening my mother would look at the hill behind the house and speak of its beauty. M y grandfather often said, “Sarah, it looks beautiful to you, but it was not so beautiful to a boy who had to follow the plow.” Owen D Young said that every electrical improvement which had come to the farm was, he thought, a blessing. H e remembered the drudgery his mother knew in the farmhouse kitchen with no conveniences, and the bitter cold before daylight in the barn where his father and he milked by hand.

Change has come over our cities, homes, apartments and trans­ portation. W e are thankful for much of it. Nevertheless, there is necessary sameness that is sound. Can we preserve it in our cliff dwelling? M any men are cliff dwellers, and, if you will look at the apartments going up, they will remind you more of a honeycomb than a place for man to live. W e are a nomadic people. Life is im­ personal. Therefore, sameness that is sound requires we forsake not time for family life, sharing of family loyalty and responsibil­ ity, and some would say I do not belong in a liberal church for saying this, but a religious home is one in which youth is not old and jaded at 16 and where the elderly are not obsolete caricatures.

T he United States will handle integration, social problems, and many things that vex us. W hat worries me is whether we can handle affluence, wealth, ease, and leisure. Can we preserve that which was basic in our American home, family, church, and moral­ ity? Can we teach coming generations in home, school, and church the sameness of man’s spiritual being which is sound in every age?

One must ask about sameness and change in his own life. W e are subject to changes without and changes within our own being.

Early in my ministry I learned many lessons from many remark­ able and wonderful persons. I had in my church an elderly, dis­ tinguished husband and wife who had achieved much. They were life-long Unitarians who had come to my church. They were not

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persons who expected a parochial call, but one day I called at their home for the husband had developed a degenerative disease. As I left the three o f us stood in the hall. M ention was made o f changes in the neighborhood, city, and world. In my callowness I said something about changes which I hoped would come quickly. The husband, shaking with palsy, said, “ M y boy, remember you will never see any change as great as that which takes place in the human body.”

Change is often traumatic and persons cry, “ I hate change!”

T he spiritual person should be one who can meet change with faith, hope, and trust.

Education has neglected to prepare persons for change. It treats youth as though they would always be football stars on Saturday afternoon, running up and down the gridiron, or, co-eds becoming glamorous for the prom. Education should tell young people there is ahead for them change and they should be preparing to meet it.

T heir hair will turn gray, their teeth will fall out, and they will grow old. T he church has never done what it should have done in preparing men for change. It has not made them see the facts of life. There comes the time when strength wanes, when one has to hand over his duties to a younger person, and there comes the change o f death in the family, and death itself. I wish some of this were not so. I hear persons cry, “ W h y did mother have to die!”

It is all part of change. W e received a Christmas card. Instead of five children there were four. An accompanying note said, “ In September we lost our four-year old little girl with leukemia.”

Think of such a change for a family to face.

But the changes we make we should make wisely. Sameness that is sound can be a virtue if it brings benefits. Sameness is the founda­ tion o f one’s life. M an loves the familiar, known, and lasting.

Frank Boyden, who had seen generations o f boys, their problems, ambitions, aims, and future knew what the educated person should know. It is in this vein that religion gives spiritual strength to hold fast to those things which must be the same as long as they are sound and to face change which can be wisely made by the person who does it with spiritual dedication.

T he conservative is needed as long as he is the conserver of that which is sound. T he liberal is needed to help bring about necessary

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changes wisely made. I would not want it said o f me I was just a conservative. I would not want it said o f me I was just a liberal.

If I could, I would want to be known as one who believed so firmly in sameness that whenever it was sound it should be conserved and one who believed so much in change wisely made that he would seek to take part in such change.

The Wisdom o f the Learned Man N ECCLESIASTICUS, one o f the Books of The Apocrypha, there is a description o f a learned man. It portrays this man in classic proportion. H e has various gifts—understanding. H e has accomplishments—he has travelled abroad. H e has characteristics and qualities such as seeking knowledge which he began in youth.

T he learned man is vividly and positively described. One can al­ most see him in his refinement, knowledge, and dignity. Then the w riter o f Ecclesiasticus says, “H e hath tried the evil and the good among men.” A better word than tried is weighed. T he w riter did not mean this man had visited the fleshpots o f Assyria and Babylon and reveled in fornication and drunkenness. H e did not mean that seeking goodness he had gone to the Temple and stood as close as he could to the vestments of Priest or Levite that some o f their sanctity might rub off on him. T he real meaning is that here is a man whose wisdom enabled him to become a learned man who weighed the evil and the good among men. H e weighed it objec­ tively as he looked outwardly upon all men, and subjectively as he looked inwardly at himself.

Profound religion teaches that man must learn that there is evil and good among men. It then becomes man’s task to attempt to weigh it, understand it, evaluate it, deal with it, and cope with it in other men and in himself.

T he wisdom of a learned man makes him know that man is both evil and good. M an is not all sinner even though he carries within him something diabolical. H e is not all saint. Few men have been saints. It took Francis o f Assisi years to become a saint. Augustine as a youth lived a licentious and sensuous life. M an is not as bad as he thinks he is when he is overwhelmed by a sense of guilt. Psy­ chiatrists have helped persons to understand their guilt complex. I I have known persons who believed they had committed “ the unpardonable sin,” but I never learned from them what that sin was. Man is not as good as he thinks he is when he feels no re­ morse, pangs of conscience, shame, and disgrace after he has gotten rid o f God and moral values.

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M an does enormous evil. One of the major evils o f our time is commercialization o f sex and worship o f the body. I was with a friend who had written a book for college students. H e told me that last year not one volume had sold. Jokingly I said I could do better than that. I f I wrote a book, it would sell at least two or three copies. H e replied, “ If my book had a jacket showing a beau­ tiful girl in skimpy pants getting out a second story fraternity house window on a ladder, it would sell thousands of copies.” I waited in Union Station for President Gates o f Beaver College.

W e were going to call on Congressman Rhodes. T he Morning Congressional was late so I looked at the paper backs on the news­ stands. T he covers showed almost nude girls in every suggestive sexual pose. This commercialism of sex is a sign o f something much deeper, which is wholesale disregard for moral standards.

M an does great good. W ho can forget the televised picture of one of our G .I.s running through bullets to pick up a wounded Vietnamese baby, and with it in his arms running again through shellfire to bring it to safety? H e didn’t even know who the child was, but he went out o f glorious goodness to save its life.

Instead o f being surprised that man is both evil and good one should face this duality. W e all have two natures, two sets o f in­ stincts, two kinds of motivations, and two classes of responses— evil and good.

O ne’s own life is evil and good. M an tries both. The religious insistence is that one try to be good for the sake o f society, and for the good o f one’s own self. One should weigh the evil and the good because ignorance o f one or both can bring calamity.

T he learned man knows that because man is both evil and good every person fights a hard battle. N o one has it easy. Existence is a struggle. Men fighting their way up can be ruthless. A close friend was a vice-president in one of the largest banks in New York. T he day after he graduated from college he went to the bank for eighty dollars a month. H e would tell me of the in-fighting, the cruelty, the clawing, the trickery perpetrated by men trying to scale their way up. N ow retired he has told me how he pities junior executives in the ruthless battle, competition, in-fighting, and knifing for advancement in huge corporations.

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W e all fight for survival. This is seen in Nature. T he Secretary of the Smithsonian tells us the American robin is becoming scarce around here. It evidently eats worms which have eaten pesticides, and becomes the victim of what Rachel Carson said would happen.

Grackles are taking the place o f the robin, for evidently they can eat the same food and survive. It is a perfect illustration o f survival o f the fittest or through adaptation. Societies fight for survival, and so do persons.

T he religious insistence is that men recognize that all men fight a hard battle, and therefore must not wage an encounter which will destroy and decimate others. W e are all in the fight to keep going and meet the oppositions o f life, but not to fight our fellowmen with their defeat and ruin as our purpose. Galsworthy in The Forsyte Saga tells how Soames, the man o f property, plans to de­ stroy a young architect he hates. H e carries out his plan with per­ fection and the total ruination o f a young life. This is one of the cruelest passages in English literature.

The learned man knows that man is both evil and good, he fights a hard battle, and he feels life is unfair. Racially think o f the dif­ ference the color o f skin can make. Socially there are many places I cannot go and will not be invited. Economically there are persons who have all the money to buy every advantage, while others have to plan for months to buy a suit. Men have a big head start on other men. Kant, Spinoza, and Bacon were so far ahead o f me in intellect there is no comparison. Some men can never catch up with others.

However, he who demands that life be fair is foolish. Angelo Patri tells o f a little girl who said to her mother, “ M ary is a mean little girl. She doesn’t tell the truth, she’s hateful, and spiteful. Yet she has a new bicycle, new roller skates, and lots o f new dresses. I try to be good, and I don’t get these. Life isn’t fair!” H er wise mother replied, “ Life isn’t fair, and the sooner you discover that the happier you will be.”

There are fruitful valleys like those in California, even if they are irrigated, and the arid fruitless Saharas o f N orth Africa. There are educated persons. Can one imagine any President not surround­ ing himself with the best educated persons? There are the ignorant who know nothing, and seem to be born to stumble forever. There

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are those with sound health. M rs. Roosevelt said she never had a sick day or remembered having an headache. There are those who are infirm, crippled, and in braces from birth.

T he religious insistence is that man not envy just to envy. He must know life is unfair, and then work for the fairest odds he can get for others and for himself.

T he learned man understands we are bound together in the bun­ dle of life. In First Samuel we read, “T he soul of my Lord shall be bound together in the bundle of life.” In this bundle anything can affect us. W e cannot be indifferent to the attainments or defeats of any other man. N o man is an island, and there is always the effect upon us o f every life we meet, and our effect upon every life we touch. One must suffer much he abhors because he is in the bundle of life. Also, he will have for the same reason advantages he has not created or earned.

In the bundle of life man’s basic experience is universal. The Laws of God and N ature affect every man and woman. T he re­ ligious insistence is that we know we are bound together in one humanity and, therefore, each must accept responsibility for im­ proving his own being, whether we call it personality, character, mind, spirit, or soul.

T he learned man knows man seeks peace at the heart o f endless agitation. W e are all engulfed by endless agitation. H istory is an account o f ceaseless agitation. It exists between tribes— tribal wars. It goes on between races—white and colored. It is the climate of nations—China and Russia, or Russia and the United States. It grates between religions—Christians and Buddhists, Jews and Muslims.

A nation no matter how blest it is experiences the agitation of change, growth, internal conflicts, and rivalry.

Persons know endless agitation because of class consciousness and class status. They know it through economic injustice, politi­ cal dissatisfaction, and racial self-consciousness. Such agitation leads persons to protest, strike, demonstrate, and show civil dis­ obedience.

Institutional religion knows the agitation between conservative and progressive, and between fundamentalist and liberal.

T he family undergoes endless agitation. A family I know has

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under one roof four generations—great-grandmother, grand­ mother, parents, and children. There are different standards be­ tween generations. I had luncheon with a friend from Pittsburgh.

H e holds an important position in Engineering Research. I knew him when he was a student in Dartmouth. H e now has two sons— 26 and 24. H e said he was dismayed by the way his sons seemed to be oblivious to and unaware o f standards he had known at their age. There is jealousy between brothers and between sisters.

There is suspicion on the part of members o f a family.

T he person lives with agitation caused by nerves, anxieties, passions, emotions, fears, and doubts. Yet man is always trying to find central peace. One thing I realize about Christian Science is that it has brought central peace to countless persons who turned to it from a world of endless agitation. Associating with members o f this church one often feels how much of this calm and central peace these persons have taken in and demonstrate.

The religious insistence is that God is the symbol of central peace. The super-liberal has made a mistake in banishing God for non-theistic humanism. T he super-liberal may not know it, but he has not just gotten rid of God—he has gotten rid of the central peace at the heart of endless agitation. Let me illustrate by this church. It is a place where one recognizes the atmosphere of the peace man seeks. No one in his senses would come into this Sanc­ tuary, throw his hat into the air, yell, shout, laugh out loud, slap someone’s back, and begin to wrestle or fisticuff. No, here as Martineau said, “Entering here, therefore, we cross the threshold of eternal things, and commune with the Father who seeth in secret.

Let us shake off the dust of transitory care.” W e come here to know that there is a peace which outlives the raucous noise of the streets, the frictions o f life, and the constant torments of the un­ necessary, absurd, and ridiculous. The church speaks of calm, benediction, blessing, and the quiet one should find in the depth of All Being and within his own soul.

Jesus expressed it, “ M y peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Others have said that they have known that peace which passeth human understanding—that peace which cometh down from above. W hatever it is the learned man knows the

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built-in evil for society and for one’s self in endless agitation if it is permitted to sap the strength, happiness, and confidence in man.

H e knows, too, that through central peace one can find in the Universe, in the movement o f the spheres, in the rhythm o f Nature, and within his own heart and soul a central peace which can never, never be lost or destroyed.

T he wisdom o f a learned man— “H e hath weighed the evil and the good among men.”

The Guidons H E ancient Hebrews were constantly at war. T he Old Testament in parts wearies one with its accounts o f and references to wars and battles. A rather naive woman I knew de­ cided to read the Bible for her enlightenment and spiritual develop­ ment. She soon gave it up and remarked, “Heavens! I can’t read about all that fighting and killing o f those people who are always at w ar.”

For the most part the old Hebrews were engaged in rather dis­ orderly pitch battles. T hey lacked our modern weapons—ba­ zookas, mortars, flame-throwers—but even so did a pretty thor­ ough job o f killing—man always can!

As military science became more refined (is that the word?) regiments, companies, platoons, and squads were designated.

There came into use the guidon. If you have seen W est Point Cadets march, you have seen their guidons. I had a funeral in Arlington National Cemetery. T he Honor Guard was from one of our oldest Infantry regiments. In the march I noted a Regimental Guidon. M ajor George Mosely Chandler, who did so much for the A rm y in the field of Heraldry and developed insignia of armies, divisions, regiments, and companies, once told me about the use of guidons. I became so interested 1 did some research and found this description o f a guidon. It is a small flag or streamer carried by troops to show the position of the guide or the line on which a formation is made.

T he Ecclesiastical W orld has missed something in never having adopted for its use the term guidon. It is a perfect symbol for re­ ligion, the church and spiritual ideals and teachings. Ecclesiatically we could speak o f “ a small flag or streamer carried” through the ages and centuries by the faithful. Carried “by troops”— congrega­ tion, parish, church members. “T o show the position o f the guide or the line on which a formation is made.”

Think o f our daily religious life in terms of guidons waving in the pure light o f heaven, carried by the faithful in the Faith, to

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show the position or guide or line on which a moral and spiritual formation is made.

Symbolically let us see the march o f the faithful and read the words on the guidons they carry. Each one o f us may find his own words, but these are the ones I read.

Mankind appears on the first guidon. N ot Man, but Mankind.

W e are all o f it. It is us. It is the question o f whence came M an­ kind and whither it goes. Dr. John A. Mackay, for many years President of Princeton Theological Seminary, is now retired and lives here. W e are members o f a ministerial club. I heard Dr. M ackay in a paper say that man’s whole life can be divided into only two parts. Behind him is H istory—all that has been and is recorded. Before him is Destiny—that toward which he is moving.

Mankind means every soul is the concern o f the moment. W e ask what o f Mankind and what for Mankind? For this reason it is always the purpose of religion to get man out o f human hells as well as to save him from future hells. All one has to do is walk in any city—here or abroad—and he will discover how derelict gov­ ernments, political leaders, educators, and religious persons have been in terms o f the plight of Mankind. This may be because man has so emphasized his race, his color, his nationality, his religion, that he has neglected to emphasize Mankind as paramount.

Knowing appears on the second guidon. N ot knowledge or even understanding—but knowing what values are. Much o f our popu­ lation lacks knowing. O ur ignorance of knowing what is really of value is tragic. College young people should know there is some­ thing o f greater value and endurance than eroticism. There are values which outlast sex. This age o f vandalism and destruction in which not just hoodlums, but college students take part, comes from not knowing the value o f that which others have created.

T he other night a brick was thrown through the window o f a shop in Georgetown. Old N ativity ornaments gathered from around the world were destroyed, including a little angel and other priceless symbols of the Birth of Jesus. W hoever destroyed these lacked knowing beauty, artistry, and loveliness. There is little hope for better times until we have the desire of knowing life, property, and the creations o f N ature and men’s hands, if these express beauty and noble usefulness, are sacred, holy, and blessed.

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Commitment is the word on the third guidon. Judeo-Christian Religion is commitment. Abraham committed to becoming the Father of his people, Moses committed to leading his people out of slavery, the Prophets committed to calling their people to right­ eousness and mercy, Jesus committed to giving salvation, Paul committed to carrying the Gospel to the Gentiles, Stephen com­ mitted to placing his neck beneath stones in Christian martyrdom, are the dynamic examples o f soul-strength.

W e had better believe in men committed to God, country and fellowman. Yes, men committed to university and school, calling, profession, daily round and church.

T he world is full of lost souls. W ashington has thousands o f them. Often they are the uncommitted—persons who are com­ mitted to nothing and think of nothing but their own selfish, nar­ row, pitiful, dreary existence. T hey do not know there is no real life without commitment.

Usefulness is the word on the fourth guidon. It is expressed perfectly in five words carved in the stone in the inner court of Harkness Quadrangle at Yale— “ I want to be useful.” (Nathan Hale, Class 1775.)

I spoke at a state university to the students and said I believed the surest way for them to find that life could be o f tremendous interest and stimulation was through being useful. A t the close of my address a woman told me that she was the secretary to a mem­ ber o f the Administration. She said that each day when she turned over his calendar she realized his life was a record o f usefulness.

Daily he had appointments—Board o f Elders, Boy Scout Council, P.T .A ., Bank Directors, Alumni Association, Lions Club, W el­ fare Committee—and so it went. H ere was a man whose datebook was his confession o f faith. I f one wants to know what he believes in, let him study his calendar or datebook, because we give ourself to the things in which we believe.

The Outward Man is w ritten on the fifth guidon. This has to do with bearing, appearance, presence, manner. Years ago I heard a woman say to a young lady who was just entering upon a business career, “Always dress your best for every occasion.”

T he Outward Man is our face, body, hands, feet, and speech.

T he gods write their names upon our faces. T he movement o f our

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body reveals much. Hands and feet tell a great deal. Dr. Chester H . Quimby, a Methodist minister, wrote an unique account of Jesus— A s They Remembered Him. Each chapter dealt with the way those who saw Jesus remembered him—his face, his body, his hands, his voice, his spirit.

T he disagreeable, disgruntled, and unpleasant person shows it.

T he glad, happy, radiant person expresses it. Nothing is more selfrevealing than human nature. Lincoln said we could fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time. I long ago came to believe one cannot fool anyone. Persons know what we are, and, if we think we are fooling anyone, we would be amazed to know how much we unthinkingly and unknowingly always reveal.

The Inward Man is written on the sixth guidon. Dignity is that central poise which is resident in the Inward Man. Reverence is that central awe before the sacred and holy. W e must ask what goes on within me and what goes on within other people?

In college days one o f our Alumni, who had attained fame, suc­ cess, and renown, returned to the campus. In my Fraternity House he spoke at a dinner we gave for him. After dinner one of the boys asked our guest if he would say what he thought was the secret of success. The answer came instantly— “ Learn to know men on the inside.”

Faithfulness is the word on the seventh guidon. H e who is faith­ ful in a few things will be faithful in many. Constantly overlooked in the Scriptures is the statement that we cannot be faithful to the things which are our own unless we are first faithful to the things that are another’s.

W e must be faithful to the ideals which begat us. Little do we realize how much the sacredness which exists and whatever sanc­ tity we find in the world is because ideals were bequeathed us by those who never surrendered or lost them.

I hope I am catholic and universal in my religious outlook. I want all men to have the right to follow whatever religion they wish. In every way I will help them. I am a Christian. It is the faith in which I was reared. It is my religious heritage. I pray I may ever be faithful to it. I am a Universalist. It is the faith in which I believe. It is the gospel I think is all-important. It is the

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theology that makes most sense to me. It is an inspiration. I never want to fail in my faithfulness to my Universalist Faith.

T he real person through fidelity shows faithfulness to tradi­ tions, institutions, persons, and comrades who have supported him.

On the final guidon is the word Thankfulness. T he American people ought to be the most thankful people on earth. O ur oppor­ tunities are enormous. There is no other land where the average person has so much and can advance so far. I think o f boys and girls I knew in childhood. Many o f them had little and came from meager beginnings, and, yet, they have advanced to places of leadership and trust. I think o f a lad I knew in Amherst College.

H e won numerous scholarships. H e went to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. H e graduated from Harvard Law School. H e is now a Clerk to an Associate Justice o f the Supreme Court. This boy’s father worked on an automobile assembly line and his mother also went to work. H e is o f foreign extraction, with a foreign name, but here has had every opportunity and has proved how far he can go and will go.

Thankfulness is counting what we have and are—not what we lack and aren’t. T he ingratitude o f man from ancient times to this hour is one of the detestable traits in human nature. T he ingrate is almost beneath contempt. It is right, then, to know that no man can be true to the highest and best he may hope to be without gratitude. T he thankful person has respect where it is due, he sees meaning where it is, he lives humbly, knowing he is the recipient of so much others have given him.

W atch the guidons. T hey are markers, positions, guides on the line o f the formation. M ay we be wise enough to distinguish the guidons which history out of human experience has written. M ay we keep our eyes on these guidons. M ay they be carried for us not only out o f the past, but by those who march with us today into the future where men must find the position o f the guide or the line on which the real stand of life can be taken.

M yself and One Other Person A NY Biblical scholars have said that the greatest recorded conversation Jesus ever had was his conversation with the W oman o f Samaria. T he story is found in the Fourth Chapter of the Gospel o f St. John. This story was read as our Second Lesson this morning.

I have often thought that a score o f sermons could be preached on this one conversation. Such a sermon might deal with any o f the following: T he Relationship Between Samaritan and Jew ( “for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans”) —Living W ater (what did Jesus mean by “living w ater” ?—I am not sure that I fully understand)—Jesus the Prophet (“Sir, I perceive thou art a Prophet” )—T ru e W orship (“neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem shall ye worship the Father, for God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” ) —T he Messiah—the belief which Jesus evidently held at this time in his own Messiahship.

For our thought today there is a single idea I ask you to con­ sider. It is that this conversation was held between Jesus and just one woman. There were times when Jesus preached to the multi­ tude as in the case o f the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was hailed by throngs as on the day of his Triumphal Entry into Jersusalem.

H e sometimes moved in crowds and once had to speak from a boat because the persons on the shore were so numerous. But one thing Jesus makes clear is the all-importance o f a relationship between himself and one other person. Think of some of the most vital moments o f his Public M inistry—Jesus and Zaccheus, Jesus and the Centurion, Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler, Jesus and M ary Magdalene, Jesus and the W idow o f Nain, Jesus and a Sinful Woman, Jesus and a certain Lawyer, who made trial o f Jesus.

There is no full understanding of the method and life of Jesus without an appreciation o f the fact that he makes of supreme im­ portance every relationship between one person and another. T o apply it to ourself, every meeting, connection and touch with an­ other person has in it significance. In every life I touch and in

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every life that touches me something takes place. A momentary meeting, a fleeting connection, a chance encounter, have in them something that can change the two lives involved.

First, let us think of the impact of personality. N o reader o f biog­ raphy can fail to appreciate that great men and women reveal that along the way one life helped make them what they became.

Thomas Jefferson was one o f the greatest men o f our country. In a biography Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying that the person who had the greatest influence in his life was Dr. Small. W ho was Dr. Small? H e was a professor at W illiam and M ary College when Jefferson was a student there. There was a faculty o f six and a handful o f students. Perhaps more important than what Jefferson w rote in the Constitution or the Virginia Bill o f Rights is this statement about Dr. Small, because it shows men in all time that one obscure life shaped the life that had so much to do with the Constitution and the safeguarding o f the individual rights o f man.

W henever lives come to disastrous and tragic ends on the way there have been persons who have left the wounds and scars o f degrading influence.

W e can almost say persons are the end result o f the impact for good or evil, greatness or ignominy left on them by one or more persons. Often one other life can inspire a person to successful living and often one life can completely w reck another, so great is the impact o f a personality.

We are all the lives that have touched us. Robert Louis Stevenson was greatly influenced by his childhood nurse; Daniel W ebster by an aunt; H arry Emerson Fosdick by his father. I never knew an Amherst man who was there in the days o f Professor Garman who did not sometime mention the influence of Garman upon him.

I never knew a Smith College woman who was there in the days o f President Seelye who did not mention his influence upon her.

In my life three teachers stand out among the hundreds I have had.

One I remember for her kindness, that was in the First Grade.

Another I remember in the last year o f Grammar School for his fairness and sympathy. H e was a Jew. Another I remember for his saintly living. O f the many ministers I have sat under as my family moved about, one stands out for his complete example of what a minister should be. Early in my ministry there came to my

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church a man who had not attended for many years. Something brought him back and he never failed to be present on Sunday morning. H e was like the postman—neither wind, nor hail, nor snow could keep him away. H e sat right under the pulpit and each Sunday after service he would telephone me and tell me words I had mispronounced or mistakes I had made. This instant I recall two of those words—I mispronounced “ruthless” and speaking of the Planet Arcturus, I called it “A rcturius.” But this man would always add, “N ow I am only correcting you because I want you to be perfect and because I love you.”

N o one fails to leave some impression upon us—the mailman, the clerk, a person we talk to on the train, a neighbor. So we must understand ourself and realize that every day every person we meet is making some kind of imprint upon us.

We do something to every person we meet. W e leave the impres­ sion o f being fair or unfair, honest or dishonest, courteous or dis­ courteous, bright or dull, loyal or disloyal. It is a terrific thing. I wonder whether persons understand that all day they are doing something good or evil to each person they meet. O ur stand for loyalty to our country will not go for naught. W ho influenced the traitors recently turned up in this country? Someone! O ur stand for the church will not go unfelt by the non-churched. O ur stand for justice, honesty, fair play, will not be lost. Every conversation we have can be of importance. Every meeting and relationship can have consequences for long to come.

Every person must think o f his effect on a person. A doctor has a practice, but he deals with a person. A nurse has patients, but each is a person. A teacher has classes, but pupils. An employer has employees, but they are individuals. A minister has a parish, but he must see each person. An entertainer has an audience, but it is made up of men, women, young people and children. Parents may have seven children, the important thing is a child seven times.

In this day of mass media, radio, television, newspapers, moving pictures, what is affected is one life, one mind and one character.

Here rests the moral responsibility for such media.

Finally, any life can be the most important life in the world. T hat may sound fantastic. N o one yet has found how to establish peace, how to rid the world of moral degradation, how to end man’s fears,

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and how to make man come into the fullness o f his powers. W ho knows where another Paul, Augustine, St. Francis, Shakespeare, Lister, Columbus, Galileo, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Florence Nightingale, or Jane Addams may be? There is only one wise way to live, so to act that your conduct will be for the most important person in the world. W hat shakes me out o f my boots is that there is a boy somewhere today who will in thirty years be President o f this country, a Cabinet Member, a great Judge, a great Physicist, or a great Preacher. Somewhere there is a girl who in thirty years will be a Cabinet Member, an Ambassador, a great Teacher, a great Author, a great Scientist. I may touch that boy or girl today. One day I was to preach at a Union Service in a Swedenborgian Church. A driving snowstorm was sweeping over the city. W ith my usual concern about the size o f the congregation I said to the minister of the Church, “ I wonder whether anyone will attend the service?” It was a natural concern, but my friend poured oil on the troubled waters o f my mind when he said, “Just remember this, the most important conversation Our Lord ever had was with just one woman.” I have never forgotten that and it may be that the secret o f preaching is the preacher and one person, not the preacher and a congregation.

W e need to remember Jesus and the W oman of Samaria. W e should go out each day with faith in ourselves and one other per­ son. W ho in the hamlet of Van Hornesville, N ew York, as he saw a gangling youth by the name o f Owen Young walk down from the farm would have said that this boy in a Post-W ar W orld would sit in Germany to settle the greatest world problems o f that day?

I f there is any true meaning to what we glibly talk about as the sacredness o f human personality and the holiness o f every human personality, it rests right here on M yself and One O ther Person.

The Past as More Than Prologue N T H E Archives Building in downtown W ashington carved in the stone near the entrance one reads, “T he past is pro­ logue.” It is an unforgettable statement. It is a favorite quotation for persons who give an Anniversary or Commencement Address.

T he speaker notes the passage o f fifty, seventy-five, or one hundred years, and tells his audience, “T he past is prologue.” T he speaker stands before the graduating class in High School or College. He knows they are to make a new beginning after this Commence­ ment so he tells them, “T he past is prologue.”

A t my Alma M ater one Commencement an eminent Justice gave the address, and later received an H onorary Degree. In his advice to the graduates he said, “Forget the past and get on with the future.” A t a luncheon which followed the Commencement Exercises several prominent alumni were called upon for remarks.

One o f them had the courage (and I think wisdom) to say, “This morning an eminent Justice addressed you. H e told you to forget the past and get on with the future. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.” He then sat down, and I have always thought this was one of the most admonitory and effective talks I have ever heard.

A friend o f mine was a most gifted speaker, whose field was American H istory. H e was in demand for college and young people’s groups. I rarely heard him speak that he did not quote from the Old Testament— “Remove not the old landmark.” An­ other translation is— “Remove not the ancient guidepost.”

W e live in the present and are constantly reminded o f it in our teeming cities. W e must never forget for the sake of true progress the Biblical admonition— “W here there is no vision the people perish.” Predating present and future is the past, and in this con­ nection I would change the statement “T he past is prologue,” and ask you to understand the past as more than prologue.

T he past in our time is too often thought of as an unread fore­ word to a great tome that is to be written. It is hurried through as though it were a dimly lighted vestibule, leading into a brilliantly illuminated ballroom. It is thought of by too many in this modern

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day as a poorly documented and fuzzily illustrated introduction or preface.

We have to see the past as our cradle. W hen I am in New York C ity I like to go to the Museum o f M odern A rt. It contains numer­ ous artistic innovations and shocks. However, it goes back to the cradle in which A rt was nurtured. In that cradle primitive man with a flint scratched on the wall o f a cave the w ay a bison or reindeer looked to him. In this cradle Michelangelo created his immortal figure o f David, still unsurpassed.

In Oxford, Ohio, I like to visit the home o f W illiam H . McGuffey, which is now a museum. I have one o f the early editions o f one o f his Readers. M cGuffey was a remarkable man, and he reminds me o f the cradle in which Education was reared. H ere is Gamaliel, who taught Saul o f Tarsus. H ere is Erasmus, the bril­ liant light o f the awakening after ages o f darkness in Europe. Our Universities and Colleges were suckled in this cradle o f centuries.

Religion was nurtured in a cradle. W e see Hammurabi formulat­ ing his Code, Moses giving the T en Commandments, Jesus utter­ ing the Sermon of the Mount, the Beatitudes, and the Golden Rule, and Calvin writing his Institutes. Religion was nourished in the cradle of ancient times.

Recently an eminent scientist made the statement that there was not a thing in all the advancement o f Modern Science which did not go back to the first principles Science discovered. In the cradle o f Science someone made the first wheel, someone thought o f the combustion engine, and someone moved on to the Jet engine.

Science knew its cradle before recorded equations.

T he past as our cradle has nurtured all things.

In this cradle it was learned that manners were a nicer way of doing things than doing them without manners. Life was pleasan­ ter when persons were courteous rather than discourteous. Every­ thing moved easier when men were gracious rather than ungra­ cious.

One day man recognized his inward reaction to the nobility of being chivalrous. “Knighthood in Flower” was the personification o f the chivalrous endeavors of human beings in their often un­ chi valrous environment.

Man became more careful about language. T he spoken word

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had applied to it diction, enunciation, and inflection. T he written word took on more beauty and conveyed more meaning with cor­ rect construction. In not studying Latin we lose valuable assistance in writing. Cicero, for example, teaches us the care and pain which go into the proper construction o f strong sentences.

M an tried to improve himself. H e thought about his appearance, he washed, shaved, cut his hair, pressed his clothes, clipped his nails, and used a nail file. H e discovered that with grooming he was more attractive to himself and others.

Codes of behavior developed and persisted because they had value in society and for persons. M orality rose and fell but always rose again. Reason, philosophy, truth became clearer, and pre­ sented a development of ideas which could not be contradicted in terms of their verity. Ideals inspired men. It was learned that fidelity, which meant faithfulness, made a better man than un­ faithfulness. Honor was better than dishonor, loyalty than dis­ loyalty, nobility than cowardice, and brotherhood than bitter strife and sharp division. But let us never forget that such ideals are not twentieth century creations. T hey were suckled in the cradle of the past.

We have to see the past as our teacher. Arnold Toynbee may pre­ sent flaws and weaknesses as an Historian, but there is no doubt that he makes those who read his writings aware that civilizations rise and fall. This the past teaches.

W ar is terrible. N o one wins, but the past shows us that some wars cannot be avoided. W hat would we have done had we lived when Napoleon was ravishing Europe? W hat was the answer to the insanity o f H itler, and the folly of Mussolini? T he past teaches us that all wars may have been wrong and immoral, but they were not avoidable.

W alter Lippmann is not infallible and we may differ with him in certain o f his ideas, but he does make very clear that political arrangements and accommodations are transient. T he past teaches us that the transience o f political alignments and expediencies is ever recurring.

Materialism is one of the mightiest forces in the world. It can become an overruling power in nations, societies, and individual

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lives. The past as teacher knows full well the self-defeating power o f materialism if it is the only end man seeks.

Religions disappear and change. Christianity has changed much, is changing now, and will change in the future. It could disappear, but the essence of what is true religion in Christianity cannot dis­ appear or change. This the past teaches.

Things are not always as they appear. Founders and creators are often unrecognized and unknown. M en who never founded or created anything give themselves the credit. W e think o f James W att as founder of the steam engine, but I have read o f at least six persons who had the idea of the steam engine. M any o f the best sermons were not first preached by the man who gets the credit.

T hey were preached by some little-known fellow who never got any credit. T here are, o f course, original sermons, but it does not change the plagiarism that exists in writing, speaking, and preach­ ing. Plagiarism the past teaches is nothing new.

There is no such thing as a self-made man or nation. T he music we hear and the books we read were often w ritten in blood. This Nation borrowed almost everything from earlier nations—its laws, its government, and one has only to look at classical architec­ ture with its columns and pediments to be carried back to Ancient Greece and Rome.

T he past teaches us that there would be no life as it now is with­ out the millions o f humble and nameless who provided it.

T he past as our teacher shows us that man is a devil. H e per­ petrates evil and afflicts his fellowmen with suffering through his cruelty. H e is stupid and perverse. H e resorts to slavery, torture, the pyre, the gibbet, the dungeon, and enforced labor. H e will ex­ ploit his fellowman, and there are always a few who will seize all the power and all the wealth from the rest o f mankind. There is a breed of men so the past teaches us who will descend to any depths, and who will do anything as long as they can get away with it.

T he contradiction is that man is so good. Again and again good men suffer and die for bad men, and in their act there is a moral power of inexplicable greatness and force. This is the meaning of the death o f Jesus. H ere was a good man dying for bad men. T he past teaches us that this has been one o f the supreme acts of man,

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and one through which man’s hope and redemption are kept alive.

So, the past teaches us that through all time virtue endures, men must return to it, and it is always to be exalted. Ecclesiasticus is speaking for all time when it says, “T he memory o f virtue is im­ m ortal.”

There is the past as our heritage. It provides us with our only known experience. I heard a lecture on fire. It was in connection with new methods o f fighting and controlling fire. T he lecturer began by saying that fire was the most difficult thing man had to learn to use. (Man could not use tidal waves, tornadoes, earth­ quakes, floods, but fire he could learn to use.) Early man saw lightning strike a forest and kindle it. H e ran from the flames. But as he began to use fire he learned that one level above what he actually needed could destroy all, whereas one level below what he needed enabled him to be the master of fire.

T he past is the only road which has been taken. This was so with Abraham leaving U r o f Chaldea, Paul on the missionary road, Columbus crossing the ocean, Marconi sending messages through the ether without wires, the W right brothers lifting off the ground at K itty H awk, and men in rocketed capsules circling the earth.

T he past is all recorded history. Recent Bible excavations teach us the accuracy o f the Bible in regard to cities, walls, fortifications, and palaces. Recently I had the heart-rending duty of holding a Service for a little child. W here did I go for help? I read from the Old Testament about Rachel weeping for her children. Lamenta­ tion— “She would not be comforted because her children were not.” I recalled David who said when he learned o f the death o f his son, “T he child will not come to me, but I will go to him.” I turned to the New Testament and Jesus, who took a child in his arms and blest it, and said we could not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven unless we became as little children.

T he past goes back to memories of victory and defeat.Thermop­ ylae, Gettysburg, Belleau W oods, are our heritage.

From our heritage we learn to know who we are, what we are, and why we are where we are. W e realize how a nation is indebted to its past, and must accept and build upon the past. James Reston

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wrote this week o f “ the singular ineptness o f protesters to define what they would put in the place o f what they protest against.”

O ur church this hour is the past faith, hope, and aspiration of once devout and worshipping men. Christianity is two thousand years o f the spiritual leadership o f Jesus. Universalism is centuries o f man’s eternal hope o f salvation for every soul God ever created.

T he past as our heritage is our roots which we cannot cut. It is that which will influence our destiny. T he wise man knows that he cannot get on successfully with the future if he does not know or if he forgets his heritage as more than prologue.

Voltaire said something which to me is one o f the most con­ demning and yet enlightening utterances I have heard. I have quoted it scores o f times to young people. Let me give it to you— “All history is the swish o f satin slippers coming down the stairs to the thump of hobnail boots going up the stairs.” T o this I would add, that he who sees the past as more than prologue knows this is true, but he also knows that if man learns correctly, this much o f the past does not have to be always so.

“Forget the past and get on with the future.” Don’t do it. Don’t do it. “Remove not the ancient landmark.”

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Any Beta Reader For several years, while serving as General Secretary and President o f Beta Theta Pi, Seth Brooks wrote a monthly, or sometimes oftener, letter addressed â&#x20AC;&#x153;To A n y Beta Reader." These newsletters w ent to current and form er officers and D r. Brooks fo u n d that some o f his observations, usually fo u n d at the close o f the letters, brought a heavy mail response. For this reason, selected paragraphs are reproduced here.

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I n a l l o u r c r i t i c s have to say against fraternities it would be in­ teresting if we let the parents o f fraternity undergraduates speak.

In 16 years as General Secretary and President I have never re­ ceived fro m a parent a word o f criticism about Beta T heta Pi. I have had undergraduates say to me that their father or mother was the hottest Beta they knew. I have had countless parents w rite me in gratitude for what the fraternity did for their son. There is an interesting note to those who criticize fraternities fo r their right to select their own members. Such persons never tell that fraternities have the hard choice w ith legacies. In one class there were 22 Beta legacies— 6 o f these were taken along with 20 men who were not legacies. I wonder why there isn’t a little sympathy for the legacy and his family. Again, man is a funny creature, and the hardest man to figure is the one who wants to reform something he has never known from the inside.

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T he worst thing the old man can do is to think that in his day

everything was done right. It wasn’t that good. I deplore today’s beer guzzling, but I remember a certain chapter o f my youth where no liquor was allowed in the house. Behind the house was a sand pile in which those who liked Old Grand-Dad buried their bottle with their initial on the label that it might be there for future use.

None o f us is, perhaps, as good as he thinks he is, and thank God, none o f us is as bad as he conceives himself to be. Lent reminds us again of the mysterious power of Temptation and that man, too, is moved by a Power he knows not to “penitential tears.” ☆

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I s a y to the foes o f fraternities: you can never destroy the idealism, brotherhood, life-long friendships, spirit, inspiration, comrade­ ship, and motivation I have known. I realize more and more what came through Beta T heta Pi to a boy in a chapter in “ a far off Northern land.” T h at experience is as valid for any lad today as it was for us 47 years ago. Thousands o f others would say they could never repay their debt to the Fraternity for what it has given them and meant in their life.

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I t h i n k o f the outstanding young men who compose many of our chapters. It is a rich experience to see these men at a Chapter Anniversary, evening meal, in chapter meeting, or as they come through Washington. I say again they are outstanding. N ext I think o f the beating fraternities have taken. I then look at T V and see students at the University o f Chicago taking over the college Administration Building in a massive sit-in to protest against the draft. All I have to do is look at the dress, complexion, beards, and long hair to know why these people are the way they are. The unfortunate thing is that in this country persons who should be up­ held, listened to and followed are so often the victims o f punish­ ment, persecution, or neglect from the very persons o f their own class who are in authority, while the most disgusting element is not only protected but given consideration decent young people never receive. Government, Higher Education, and the Church through certain leaders have at times been gravely misguided in connection with these groups in which you can’t tell the boys from the girls and which will cause the soap industry to go out of busi­ ness.

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U. S. C o m m i s s i o n e r o f Education, Francis Keppel, says, “An institution which maintains a fraternity system as part of its activi­ ties and over-all program is responsible under the Civil Rights Act requirements for assuring that discrimination is not practiced by fraternities in the system.” As an American I could not disagree more completely with the reasoning and philosophy behind this judgment. I would ask one question, “W hat is discrimination?”

Recently at our Services o f W orship I have had the pleasure of greeting many college students. There have been Betas, Sigma Chis, Kappas, Thetas, Pi Phis, and members o f other fraternities and sororities. T hey have been outstanding young people who have impressed me as being keen, normal, on the ball, and able to handle themselves. T hey are fine representatives o f a system many persons like to deride. ☆

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comments on this beautiful October morning: Someone said to me. “ Yours is the most conceited Fraternity.” No, it is the Fraternity whose members never go to bed and continue to tele­ phone anytime o f night or wee hours o f the morning. I f I entered business, it would be the paper business. Tons o f it come across my desk. Much o f it is so poorly mimeographed I can just make out that someone has another plan he wants me to accept as a sure way o f saving the world by November 1, 3:33 p .m . I would never enter the pen business or typew riter business because few people ever w rite and still fewer answer specific questions. I have received complaints that Beta T heta Pi does not get more publicity. W hat do we want publicity about? A re we not a Fraternity with our own fraternal purposes? M any years o f fraternity work convince me that one thing has not changed and never will. I am called on T ues­ day to be the speaker at an Initiation on Friday night. I called the D istrict Chief and he knows nothing about it. N o time or place is given. W ell, it’s an exciting life and we are all so busy doing so many things. Have we not the vision o f the G reat Society? Just to think about—might there not be some value in being committed to doing that which it is our duty to do and doing it so w ell that w e do it at once, yea , even to the glory o f God if men can remember what that is?

Som e

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I had a visit with tw o retired Presidents o f two out­ standing colleges. Neither is a fraternity man. I have known both men for years. One o f them expressed his displeasure about fra­ ternities. I had to admit much he said was true. I felt he was un­ reasonable and expected fraternities to be “councils o f perfection.”

W hen I said I thought student bodies reflected their home and general level o f life and culture today he agreed. I asked him about his feeling on dormitory behavior. W ere dormitories ever con­ demned the way fraternities are? H e did not answer.

Some hours after the above-mentioned visit I was on a train headed for N ew York City. It was Friday afternoon, we passed three college communities and at each college students going home for the week-end poured aboard. I f what I saw in the diner and R ecently

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cars could be expressed by antifraternity persons, they would say it was disgusting. However, who is writing about students such as I saw—ill-kept, loud, ill-mannered, etc. (?) Someone may say, when you were in college your generation was the same. It may have been, but it was a generation in which fraternities were not the whipping boys o f a student population often worse than the fra­ ternity make-up. ☆

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A p e r s o n who has little knowledge o f fraternities heard Ralph Fey begin his message in our Church with a text from Scripture and expound it. This person said, “ I didn’t know anything about Beta T heta Pi, but I didn’t think that fraternities would have any­ thing to do with anything as spiritual as that.” Being wise she added, “ I have a whole different feeling about fraternities.” This is pitiful but typical. I told this person we opened our Board M eet­ ings with Prayer, our Ritual contains Scripture, we frown upon indecency and immorality. I added that the leaders o f our Fra­ ternity have been men o f religious faith, exemplary citizens, and that our Board of Trustees has always been composed o f men of character and high standing. Don't let persons sell fraternities short'. ☆

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T his is a disturbed world. T he foes o f anything that is established

and frequently anything that is decent are on the rampage. I know there is a fun n y side to characters like the Beatles in England, but they are a symptom o f the madness o f our generation. T o be sane is a major achievement and we should not for a moment fail to see that a lot o f people with quirks are the ones out after fraternities.

I want them to leave us alone and will take every opportunity to make them know there are some o f us who are not to be pushed around. T he firmer fraternities stand, the more they will be re­ spected and the more they will carry out their right to persist. ☆

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n e l d e r l y l a d y who adored her Rector gave him a bottle of cherries in brandy. O n receiving them he remarked, “ I appreciate the cherries but even more the spirit in which they were given.”

So many kind letters about the Inter Fratres and “T o Any Beta Reader” have come I want you to know I appreciate the letters and “the spirit in which they are given.”

T he Board asked me to w rite some o f my Beta memoirs. I have been working on this and it is great fun. I have w ritten more than sixty pages and will continue with the w ork as time permits. It is almost impossible to believe that through our Fraternity one could find so many treasures. I know full well this could be said o f many o f the outstanding fraternities. I look back to associations with the finest men I have known. I look back to things joyous, sad, funny, and tragic. Above all, I feel the sense o f motion. T he younger men come up and carry on the work. In this writing I have been doing I have been struck by the number o f Beta sons and grandsons. I have been appalled to think o f the number o f undergraduates I knew who have grown up into positions o f leadership in our Fra­ ternity.

Let anyone say what he will against fraternities. I will pick the members o f Beta Theta Pi with any other association or organiza­ tion and I believe we will come off with trumpets and flying colors.

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he s t a i r w a y led from the second floor to the Dorm. Often on the way up I stopped on the landing and looked across the cam­ pus. Tonight it was past midnight, cold and clear. A full moon shown on the snow covered ground. T he only other light was the street lamp. In the moonlight the President’s House, the Theo­ logical School, the Library, Richardson, the Gym and Carnegie stood out in every line. It was like an unreal world with the moon­ light, silence, and not a sign of life. But this was for me a world of magic—professors, books, and study enriched by friendship and chapter life.

Looking through the mist o f the years I ’d give much to live such moments again. I ’d give more, if each Beta undergraduate could be translated as was I by a College and Fraternity. I had no

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part in their creation and founding. T hey were given me as a gift— how great and unending is my debt. ☆

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I c a n ’t express my appreciation for the letters I have received about Inter Fratres and “T o Any Beta Reader.” I am inspired by the comments made on what I write. N o statement in the Bible is to me more profound than one in First Samuel which reminds us that we are all bound together in the bundle of life. Those who write me are saying this as they feel the universality and commonalty of man’s experience. H ere again we come to our Fraternity and our chapter. These are attempts to make any given man realize he is bound in a bundle of life. “T he good o f each is the good o f all and the good o f all is the good o f each.” Shaw closes St. Joan with one o f the most agonizing statements I know, “ M ust, then, a Christ perish in torment in every age to save those who have no imagina­ tion?” M ust our world, our nation, our cherished institutions perish in torment in every age because there are those who lack the imagination to know we are bound together in the bundle of life?

Carlyle said o f persons who had died in a plague, “T hey were brothers and sisters in death, although they had denied it in life.” ☆

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O n e o f my oldest Beta friends has w ritten me an upsetting letter

because I know well what he means. N o Beta has been more loyal to the Fraternity and his Chapter than this man. H e has contributed to the Chapter House, w ritten the Chapter, and given it gifts. No thank-you and no acknowledgment have come forth. I would not sing the blues, but in my life I would say the ten per cent Jesus denoted is par for my experience. You remember Jesus cleansed ten Lepers. One came back to express appreciation. Jesus asked, “ W ere there not nine others?” L et’s be brutal. Persons lack man­ ners, consideration, thoughtfulness, and it is encouraged in young people today. I have come to believe one is a fool to expect to be thanked. I know that the only way to give or render service is without any thought o f anyone expressing appreciation. ☆

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has come a personal letter about a Chapter o f a well-known old fraternity which has been put off the campus o f a great Uni­ versity. H ere are the reasons: 1. Vandalism and destruction o f a new college-owned chapter house. 2. Raiding other fraternity houses and stealing valuable property. 3. Cache o f small arma­ ments. 4. Filling fire extinguishers with gasoline, and other pranks.

It is reported in a newspaper this chapter was “ offended by the college action.” One may wonder about the parents, homes, churches, communities, and admission officers which form the milieu for such boys. One may be utterly disgusted and should be.

However, consider the conduct o f our society. Look at the out­ rageous behavior which is condoned. Live for a while in the N a­ tion’s Capital.

T he appalling thing is we have so many fine citizens and so many wonderful young people. I could write a book about the wonderful young people I have known in my parishes. I f I were to give an account o f those who were teen-agers and young people when I was in the First Parish in Malden, it would be hard to be­ lieve that a single Parish was to produce in 20 years so many out­ standing men and women. You know your story, and 1 often think o f the great persons little St. Lawrence has sent into the world.

The fact is, Beta T heta Pi has so many chapters which are a credit and an honor to it we should be very grateful. Realism should dictate that those who habitually prove they cannot live up to standards becoming a good chapter, are asking their obituary be w ritten and published.

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will be my final letter to you before Christmas. M ay God bless you all in your home and at your hearth. I will think o f all o f you and if you should not be too busy, think o f me. W e are all very fortunate men that our lives and our families have been bound together by Beta T heta Pi. In this day o f disgraceful and shameful demonstrations I point with pride to the kind o f demonstration for loyalty, friendship, brotherhood, and love o f one another our Fra­ ternity has given for more than a century and a quarter.

T h is

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A. I do not think our young people have had or have today too good an example from many elders. I think many o f our young people come from homes where they have seen older people who lack character and moral stature.

B. Beta T heta Pi can do something through its Officers, Chiefs, Conventions, Magazine, Speeches and Addresses. It can stand for character and ideals. It can let chapters know there are things which will not be tolerated. Its Officers must have backing to carry out principles of operation and conduct.

If I could speak to every older person in our Fraternity, I would say with young men who wear our Badge, impress upon them that we stand for our good name. T o the undergraduates I would say, you will never regret acting with character. Stop and think before you let individuals and chapters be swept into disgrace and igno­ miny.

Let me close with these words from a Former District Chief: “ If we are to share in the glory o f accomplishments o f individuals in the group, we must also stand ready to share in the blame which is associated with the misconduct o f the few, as well as make strong efforts to correct the situation.” I agree! M ay we all be correcting, guiding, and building that character in young men which will save them from the kind o f things for which fraternities are rightly damned. ☆

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A C o m m i t t e e at ------------------- has recommended abolition of fraternities, taking over fraternity houses, and creating small colleges of about 140. All of the usual antifraternity language could be recognized. I thought of my own days in Beta Zeta chap­ ter, nights around the fireplace, the closeness we felt, the pride in our house we ran and managed, Monday night meetings in the old dark chapter hall in the basement. Someone will say, “ You’re just an old nostalgic fool. You know nothing about modern educa­ tion.” I guess I don’t, but I have tried to learn something about life’s deepest satisfactions. I wonder whether all our grandeur has produced a happier breed of students. I doubt it. I never forget

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Cedrenus who said o f the fabulous city o f Constantine, which was decorated with treasures o f art which had been plundered from all over the world, “ In the construction nothing seemed wanting except the souls of the illustrious men whom these admirable monuments were intended to represent.” ☆

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You may have read of the boat ride which ended G reek W eek at M aryland University. T he stories made it worse than a riot. It now turns out that no one is ready to come forward and prove the destruction and fighting beyond two deck chairs thrown over­ board and some fist fights among those aboard. It is my belief great disservice was done M aryland fraternities and the hundreds o f fine young people who took the cruise. I suspect a minimal number o f drunks (maybe 1 per cent) may have caused all the trouble. N ot a charge has been preferred.

W e are living in a time o f student and teen-age disorder— England, Korea, hoodlums in N ew York, Boston, Chicago, etc.

W e overlook the simplest fact—publicity encourages more of same. Again, everything is done to protect the lawless and let the law abiding see property and safety jeopardized. W e had a sad traffic accident by a teen-age boy (I feel very sorry for him and his parents). T he boy’s name could not be given because he was a minor, yet he was old enough to get a driving license and have his name on it.

I keep being thankful that our Fraternity is governed by a Code. W e can slice it any way we wish, but it is all w ritten there in the Code so that anyone can read it. ☆

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M a y each o f you have a Thanksgiving that you may share with your family and friends. N o day o f the year binds us all more closely together than our day of National Thanksgiving, and we have so much for which to be thankful.

Do you remember Noel Coward’s Cavalcade? T he closing scene is in a living room in London where the play opened with a bride

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and groom. T hey have now been married many years and lost their two sons—one in war—one on the Titanic. H ere are the words which closed the play: “Let’s drink to the spirit of gallantry and courage that made a strange heaven out of an unbelievable hell, and let’s drink to the hope that one day this country of ours, which we love so much, will find dignity and greatness and peace again.”

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Editor Smyth keeps me advised about the Fraternity situ­ ation in some o f the Pennsylvania colleges. T he latest is about Dickinson where the Board o f Trustees has barred national fra­ ternities and sororities from interfering in the selection of pledges and thus practicing discrimination. It is the same old broken rec­ ord. I have only one question to ask—is it honorable that the name of an organization, its Ritual, Badge, and H istory be used if that organization has nothing to say about those who receive its bless­ ings and benefits? All this is beyond me, but I classify myself with those about whom there was a song in Camelot—“ W hat Do the Simple Folk Do?” I ’m just too simple to understand the greater minds and brains.

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is a man who makes wise judgments and balanced and accurate statements. I will try to paraphrase some­ thing he said recently. W e were talking about fraternities. Stanley pointed to the mania to have everybody alike and everything brought down to the most ordinary level. Those who join fraterni­ ties are supposed to join something exclusive. T he exclusive is thought to be a little better. T he sin o f the fraternity in the eyes o f many persons is that it thinks it represents something “ better,” and, therefore, should get its “come-uppance” and get it hard, soon, often, and the more the better.

There is nothing worse than a snob, prig, or egotist. I am willing to cast my lot with those who believe in that which is superior.

Sta n ley H ornbeck

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W e may not attain it, but the pull should be on us to be superior persons in thought, deed, reading, speech, grooming, manners, and every department o f life. T he aim o f our Fraternity should in­ clude superiority. Isn’t the purpose o f education and high ethical religion that o f creating a superior society in which superior per­ sons live? H asn’t the danger o f every civilization been those who would pull down and refuse to raise themselves? W e need per­ spective on what is happening in the fraternity field. It is a symp­ tom o f society in which we live. As much as the Fraternity can through pattern of bad behavior m irror much that is wrong in society o f the moment, the kind o f attacks made on fraternities by certain kinds o f people also m irror that in society there are many persons who do not wish to grant others the right to their own social life, social organizations, and social levels. ☆

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As I w r i t e , the N ew York T ransit strike is on. Do you ever get tired of strikes and people who are never satisfied? Do you ever weary o f people marching with placards? Do you ever groan when you hear another, “W e demand” ? W ell, I do, and I am o f the opinion, and have been for years, that a great deal o f the unrest is instigated by persons who would like to destroy our free and democratic way of life. I wish many o f them could be shipped back to the lands from whence they came. I f this is flag-waving or Americanism, I ’m guilty. Any man will never find his happiness in external protests and rioting. H e’ll find it within or not at all. This some men of our age have not learned. ☆

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I think o f that night in August in 1 8 3 9 when our Fraternity was founded. W e pay tribute to those Eight young men, and are grateful for their legacy to us. M y thought goes back to the thousands o f Betas I have known. I think o f more than 700 chapter visitations. I recall more than thirty Conventions. In all my experience the finest men I have ever met have been members o f our Fraternity. Certainly thousands o f Betas feel as do I and O

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C h a p te r M eetin g was always on Monday night. It was a rule that everyone on Monday evening wore a white stiff collar to dinner and chapter meeting. (Some of the men wore the same col­ lar for a year.) T he Chapter Room was in the cellar. T o reach it we went down a secret stairway. (W hy I don’t know because the back stairs off the kitchen would have taken us there.) There was an enormous oak door on the Chapter Room. It had a large com­ bination lock which had not worked for decades. T he room was painted black. T he floor was hard, tramped-down earth. T he only light was from candles in antique holders. T he Officers sat in the front, and the chapter according to roll number in hard chairs around the room. Chapter meeting was a deadly serious matter. It was closed with an opportunity for each member to speak for the good of the chapter. Anything could be said, no malice was to be taken, and even Freshmen could speak. On this night one of the Seniors spoke, “Someone met my girl on campus and made a wise remark aboutme. I want that to stop.” A Junior said, “There is too much loud cursing in the halls. This morning Miss Casey, our cook, told me she didn’t like it.” N ext came a Sophomore, “A certain Freshman has too big a swell head. H e better get over it.”

Then came one of our more retarded Freshmen, “This chapter needs more of the spirit of Peter Knox and old W ollagan.” Over the decades boys came out of that unheated, dark Chapter Room.

As men they won high place in all walks of life. T hey became the leaders and shapers and chief benefactors o f the college. Those nights when we wore our stiff white collars and were spurred on for more of the Peter Knox spirit, Old Wooglin must have smiled —he still does. ☆

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W orld W ar II and I was involved in that in many ways here in the N ation’s Capital. W e ministers had more than we could handle, and I served for nearly ten years as a member o f the G en­ eral Commission on Army and N avy Chaplains. W e placed over 12,000 Army Chaplains and about 4,000 Navy Chaplains. Again, I read W orld W ar II Honor Rolls in chapters and churches. Now, Korea was a reality. Again Betas and young men I knew gave their lives. Tim e marches on, and it is Vietnam. W e must uphold the President and our Nation. W e must let no chance elude us to do all we can to end the folly o f war and killing. I think o f a friend who used to say, “ W ar is the natural state— peace the exception.”

It is bitter, but thought-provoking.

C ame

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I r e a d countless book reviews. I shall never forget the shock I received when years ago I read James Farrell’s Studs Lonigan Trilogy (pub. 1935). Farrell has just written another account of life in the depressed neighborhoods o f Chicago. A reviewer said of this book that Farrell can still write, but he does not realize that the language and symbols he uses became outdated a couple of decades ago. This generation finds little identification with what Farrell writes.

It is not for me to pass judgment on Farrell or the reviewer. I do bring up the point that one o f the problems related to the on­ goingness o f the fraternity system has to do with the words and symbols we use to express it. Since W orld W ar II a new world (not necessarily better) has come into being, and the problem which faces us is how a present generation of boys on a campus so radically changed from the early American campus can find the same meaning in fraternities which those who went before them found.

There comes to my mind a quotation from Thomas a Kempis— “Love is swift, sincere, pious, pleasant, gentle, strong, patient, faithful, prudent, long-suffering, manly, and never seeking her own; for wherever a man seeketh his own, he falleth from love.”

Could it be that modern life, education, fraternity membership,

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consciously or subconsciously are pointed toward seeking one's own advantage? Could it be that for us there will be no letter, sign or symbol for the continuance o f the fraternity unless it can express itself as an unselfish association in which men find their common good, seeking not their own, but the help and advancement they can give others? ☆

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I t is interesting to read the fraternity and sorority publications which come to me. T he sororities deserve much more credit than the fraternities fo r their courageous stand on their right to select their own members. I feel a reaction setting in against ridiculous pound­ ing at fraternities. I have heard o f a few atheists (I would uphold their right to be such) wanting all mention o f God and all prayers out of Rituals. I have received requests to take the Scripture Read­ ings from our Ritual.

I firmly believe a majority o f consensus and acceptance should not always give in to two or three who are aggrieved or displeased.

Being old-fashioned and perhaps having outlived my usefulness, I still say on penalty o f being thought a Fascist, Reactionary, Right W inger, that I am an American. I believe in the United States, I believe in the Flag. Being a Christian I confess I am one. Belonging to a small church I am not ashamed to admit it is the Faith I profess and try to live.

So it is with our Fraternity. It has 127 years o f great history. It has enriched the lives o f countless men. Untold men have loved it.

I don’t want to be told how bad it is, because to me it is wonderful and glorious. I don’t want to be told I’m a scoundrel if I don’t want to take everyone into it. I think its ideals are desperately needed in the lives o f young people today. I might tell you that there came to me from a campus on which there had been the worst kind of demonstrations a statement from one o f the highest Ad­ ministration Officials, “T he people who upheld the University were the fraternity and sorority chapters.” A college president said to me, “ I f trouble comes to this campus, I know I can depend on the fraternity men and sorority women.” I have had the mul­ tiple experience o f having college presidents and deans say to me.

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“ Your Fraternity chapter is an example on this campus and, if all chapters were like it, we would have a model situation.” ☆

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H ad luncheon with a man o f moderate circumstances. H e said his

son wrote from college about joining a fraternity. T he father said he replied, “ that is an extravagance we can’t afford.” I told the father they couldn’t afford not to have the son join a good frater­ nity. M ost o f us are rich, terribly rich in friendships, memories, inspiration, associations with great fellows because we joined Beta T heta Pi. ☆

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I expressed my concern over too much Federal money going into private colleges (causing the slow but sure loss o f com­ pletely independent education). A close friend warned me not to make such statements as they were controversial and right novo unpopular. Should we be afraid to make any sane statement, if we make it in good faith and with controlled emotions? Isn’t one o f our greatest troubles the way persons are afraid to speak against the popular current, the free ride, “ presents for everyone?” Has a Fraternity like ours, which has run a clean organization and been led by exemplary men like Shepardson et al kept too silent? Often silence is equated with guilt.

R ecently

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Beta House at St. Lawrence was on the campus where the M en’s Residence stands today. One o f my most vivid memories is o f a June morning the day after Commencement. I was staying over in Canton a day or two. It was hot and from a cloudless deep blue sky the sun was glaring down. As usual the front porch was cluttered with furniture (moved out in M ay and not moved back before the brothers departed). Trunks were on the porch awaiting old Scottie who for a quarter apiece took them to the station. O f course, the “V ic” was out and in a thin, wailing voice, “So long

T h e old

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b e t a

’s

broad

d o m a in

Oolong, how long ya gonna be gone?” seemed to hang in the still air. I looked across the campus at the college buildings. Bill W iswell, the Janitor, had already pulled down the shades. N ot a person could be seen anywhere on that desolate campus. There was only a terrible loneliness and an unutterable silence except for the nostal­ gic wail for Oolong’s return. Over the years whenever I ’ve come to the end o f a job or experience this scene has come before me in every etched detail.

I see the old Beta House porch again that June day and hear the old “V ic” . I knew then the college year just closed had brought rich rewards. I know this year has added more riches to my store. ☆

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Acknowledgments A collection of writings such as is contained in this book must, necessarily, be the work of many minds and hands. T he editor gratefully acknowledges the sincere help of Dr. Brooks’ secretary, Hope Dixon, and of Ron Helman, Miami ’55 and Sara Hirsch at the Administrative Office. For valuable advice on the contents of the book and for reading proof, he wants to thank his wife Ginger and Ralph N . Fey, Miami ’40. A t the George Banta Company he was given expert help by many, but particularly by Alvin Lang, Lawrence ’30, John Robson and Irv W ensink, Lawrence ’29.